ENTS,
On June 20 & 25 of 2009 I visited the Airdrie Forest Preserve located in Chester Co., Pa. The preserve is 74 acres of mature oak-poplar forest with two small streams and ravines. The most common trees would be tulip poplar, northern red, black, & chestnut oak, and american beech. Trees with a 9-11' cbh and heights between 110-130' are common throughout the site. Out of the sixty trees I measured twenty seven of them had a 9'+ cbh. Understory species include flowering dogwood, american hornbeam, witch hazel, hawthorn, and spicebush. I was most impressed with the size of the northern red oaks. I measured two black locust that were over 120' and a sassafras with it's main leader busted out that measured 6'3" x 110.5'. The biggest surprise was an 11.5" x 31.5' american chestnut. I took a twig and leaf sample from the tree and sent it to The American Chestnut Foundation and they confirmed it as being an american chestnut. Airdrie Forest Preserve Site Index Species CBH Height A Beech 7'10" 108.5 A Beech 10'7" 110.5 A Beech 5'7" 112.7 A Beech 9'7" 117.2 A Chestnut 11.5" 31.5 Black Cherry 4'7" 83.9 Black Gum 5'8" 81.1 Black Locust 7'5" 121.7 Black Locust 5'8" 126.4 Black Oak 11'1" 107.9 Black Oak 8'1" 116.7 Black Oak 10'6" 125.4 Chestnut Oak 6'7" 116.2 Chestnut Oak 9' 116.8 Chestnut Oak 5'1" 120.2 N Red Oak 11'9" 112.0 N Red Oak 12'4" 117.0 12x100 N Red Oak 12' 126.4 12x100 N Red Oak 11'2" 130.9 N Red Oak 11'2" 134.8 Pignut Hickory 7'11" 117.2 Pignut Hickory 5'6" 117.9 Red Maple 4'6" 97.9 Red Maple 6'2" 114.3 Sassafras 6'3" 110.5 Shagbark Hickory 2'10" 69.4 Sugar Maple 7' 107.6 Tulip Poplar 11'10" 127.8 Tulip Poplar 13'5" 131.8 12x100 Tulip Poplar 9'6" 133.9 Tulip Poplar 12'8" 136.4 12x100 Tulip Poplar 10'5" 142.0 Tulip Poplar 12'3" 142.0 12x100 White Ash 5'4" 111.8 White Oak 8'6" 106.8 Airdrie Forest Preserve Rucker Index Species CBH Height Tulip Poplar 12'3" 142.0 N Red Oak 11'2" 134.8 Black Locust 5'8" 126.4 Black Oak 10'6" 125.4 Chestnut Oak 5'1" 120.2 Pignut Hickory 5'6" 117.9 A Beech 9'7" 117.2 Red Maple 6'2" 114.3 White Ash 5'4" 111.8 Sassafras 6'3" 110.5 RI 122.05 A Rucker Girth Index should be around 9.3'. My tape measure is not in tenths. The canopy was thick at times and difficult finding the tops of some of the trees. I'll return this winter after leaf drop to get more accurate heights. I'll do a more detailed field report with photos of the preserve when I'll have some more free time. George --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
