I'm a Tree Hunter....

[Heathen]

If you like big trees and primeval forest, come on down to NC and go to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest near Robbinsville, NC. Part of the forest is considered virgin forest because it has never been logged due to the terrain. In the summer, when the leaves are out, it is dark and damp because so little sunlight can penetrate. Trees may fall but they are never cleaned up. Only the hiking paths are cleared. There are some huge trees in this forest.

[SRGBV]

Steve,
Actually, the tree I cited is located in the Cook Forest State Park which is immediately south of the Allegheny National Forest. My bad for not being more specific. It's possible that we are talking about the same tree. There has been a lot of wind damage across all of Pa this past year. My hunting camp is located in the Pine creek/Tiadaghton Forest area. It was once famous for the vast White Pine timber tracts that predominated. I have noticed that over the past 45 years, the WP are slowly, but steadily reclaiming their place. They are beginning to tower over the second growth hardwoods and that makes them suseptable to wind damage. Their seedlings are increasing and impacting the understory as well. I often wish I had the foresight to have photographed the places I visited regularly on a yearly basis just to have a pictorial history of the progression, or resurgence, of the pines. This slow maturation of Pennsylvania's northern forests has impacted the whitetail hunting in a way that most hunters do not realize. I also believe it has contributed to the steadily increasing black bear population and has benifited the turkey and bald eagles as well.
A stand of large old growth White Pine and Hemlocks are, to me, an awe inspiring sight. And when walking beneath them I feel as though I am in one of the greatest cathedrals on this earth. Don't get me wrong here. I am not a "tree huger" of the most liberal sense. I spent 9 years of my life reducing logs to lumber in a hardwood mill. I do appreciate both the beauty of trees as well as that of wood. But I certainly do not condone the wasteful practices of the past any more than I would support a complete moratorium on logging.
John

John-

I'm sure we're talking about the same tree, and the group you initially referenced is likely the same group I'm in---we have members all across the eastern states. Cook Forest is a truly remarkable place, awe-inspiring as you said. We have a few similar areas in Ohio, but none as extensive as in PA. Black bear have finally becomes re-established locally, and deer are so common they are considered pests.

Steve

[Bob K]

I'm a 'tree hunter' as well. I've killed many a tree with a deer slug!!!! Bob

[Bob R]

I figure this tree on Whidbey Island, WA is somewhere around 130 ft tall. If it hadn't been topped it would have been as big as some of the others in the area. My sweetie, whos is 5'9" tall is at the base of the tree.



bob

[gearchecker]

My next door neighbor to my north has a Bull Pine in their front yard that stands 125 ft +/- a foot.
My neighbor to the south that has a Tamarack thats taller than that but we haven't measured it.
I love watching the Tam in a huge windstorm. It barely moves as if it's saying "Bring it on, I've been here forever, and forever I'll stay"
I especially enjoy it in the late fall when it turns bright yellow just before the needles fall off for the winter.

There are so few old growth trees that can be seen from the roodways up here. If you get a jeep or other 4 wheeler and go just a few miles back off the roads you can get into some tall timbers that will take your breath away.

SRGBV and Forester, keep up the good work! We need many more like you that can truly help manage our forests

regards,
Gearchecker

[SRGBV]

I'm glad so many enjoy being in the woods; hiking in the woods with my Dad was my introduction to shooting, and to nature. Attached are a couple of photos of the tallest tree in Ohio, found and measured by me and a friend---a tuliptree at 170.01', and also a 133' black walnut in the third photo.
170' tulip.jpg170' - lookup.JPG133 foot walnut.jpg

Steve

[ShootnSteel]

I am too!
I am at home like no place else in the outdoors, and can spend hours walking through the woods looking at old trees. My mother was an algae specialist that discovered a few new types of diatoms and helped map new scientiffic territory. We spent many weeks and long summers in the Appalachian Mountains, Northern Michigan, and the Canadian Rockies, in the most remote areas sampling the waters. I developed an appreciation for everything wild that will never fade from my being.
My neighbor, who is in his late 70's now, has a tree buisiness, and I've worked with him here and there since I was 14. There I learned quite alot, but wouldn't amount to drop in the pail compared to him. I learned to climb trees and work in them. When to trim, when to remove, and the real meaning of hard work.
From there I developed a passion for restoring west coast chiansaws ( they are quite addicting too) and chainsaws led me back to the west coast where the great Giant Sequoias once covered the land. The history that gos with the logging of the redwoods and grizzly lean men who fell the monsters make for a story like no other.
The stories of logging are some of the most interresting things I have ever read, there is one man I regard highly, a climber named Gerald F. Beranek, who has written numerous books on the subject, every tree has a story, Gerry brings just a few of them amazingly to life.

I was up in Bay Village during August and I trimmed three of the largest Oaks I have ever had the privelage to climb, you sure have your fair share of monsters up there.

This is me a few years ago with a dangerous Maple I felled with one of my babies. It was only maybe 70-80 foot tall.
0415001205.jpg

[USMC Snakedriver]

I'm having a bit of trouble getting into this tree thread. Seems it's just a slippery slope to a Sierra Club membership....

[SRGBV]

I'm having a bit of trouble getting into this tree thread. Seems it's just a slippery slope to a Sierra Club membership....

Understandable, sort of...

Would you rather hunt deer in a forest, or a Doug-fir plantation? I think our interest in firearms stems from our rural history, when guns, especially long-guns, were a part of the daily routine, and when that rural history involved hunting in the woods. In the Midwest and East we have very little real forest left, so it must be preserved and appreciated for what it is and what it represents from our past. Washington State might not be at that point yet, but it will be within the next 100 years.

I'm not a fan of the Sierra Club, but I am a fan of conservation and generally the appreciation of the woods and forests as they are in a natural state---not everywhere, but some areas should be set aside to preserve what was.

By the way USMC Snakedriver, this is the person who instilled these values in me:

USMC, Guam, WWII:
Dad in Guam-copy.jpg

Steve

[USMC Snakedriver]

Steve, don't get me wrong. I appreciate your dedication to our forests. This country needs people who make the health and preservation of older stands of trees a priority. But hunting holds no interest. I camp in Marriotts and Hilton's. And it's doubtful Washington state's forests will ever be under the same pressure as forrested areas in the east. Originally born and raised east of the Mississippi, I escaped and went west as soon as there was an opportunity. The thread was just a bit wooden from my perspective. But it was encouraging to see you had a Marine in your life. He had to be a positive influence!