I'm a Tree Hunter....

[SRGBV]

This might seem odd to some of the forum members, but one of my greatest interests is hunting tall/big trees. I'm part of a group, the Native Tree Society, which documents the remaining trees and forests throughout North America. We use laser rangefinders(the Nikon Prostaff 440 is the favored model) and clinometers, combined with a calculator capable of sine calculations, to record the height of trees in the woods. Using these instruments, from the ground, we can get accuracy within inches of an actual climb and tape drop. A simple tape is used to measure circumference. Myself and a friend have documented the tallest tree in Ohio, a tulip-tree at 170.01', as well as the tallest trees in the state for a number of other species.

This might seem unrelated to a gun forum, but I think many persons interested in guns are also interested in the outdoors and have an appreciation of the woods and forests, from a hunting background. For me it's all part of the package. Here is a link to a website my oldest son created: http://alpha.treesdb.org/

Steve

[Forester]

Well, I certainly am interested, as you may have guessed by my username. I think it's great that you and your group are doing this. I have a client who hired a climber to measure a white pine tree on their property. The results were over 160 feet tall. I don't know what the record is for NH but its the tallest tree I have ever seen in this state. They will never publicize it, though.

Keep up the good work.

[banger]

I live on relatively high ground, but still have a view of some ridges, and it is noteworthy that, while most of the ridgeline is even, as if it had undergone a buzz-cut, there will be the odd tree that looms FAR above the mean -- different breed, obviously, but interesting . . .

[dennis40xnc]

[timetripper]

Steve,
There is a group here in Pa that does that too. They list a 182.5' White Pine in the Allegheny National Forest as being the tallest recorded tree in the NE USA. I've seen some large specimens of WP and Hemlock in some pretty remote places while on my hunting jaunts but the most massive tree I've seen in Pa was a Sycamore, aka buttonwood.
The nomenclature for defining forest types seems to have changed since I was a kid. The term "virgin" forest is rarely heard nowadays. Instead "old growth" is more common. I think this is due to our perception of a forest as being a constantly changing system. "Climax forest" is another term I haven't heard much lately. I believe It denoted the ultimate end result as in which particular species would dominate any particular region. Perhaps they were terms used by the lumberman of old, who knew that the best lumber was found in areas never logged and who were not interested in replanting or restoring the forests for future generations. Forester, am I just imaging things or has the terminology changed?
John

[Forester]

SmithandWessonForum's Official Tree Hugger:

[SRGBV]

Well, I certainly am interested, as you may have guessed by my username. I think it's great that you and your group are doing this. I have a client who hired a climber to measure a white pine tree on their property. The results were over 160 feet tall. I don't know what the record is for NH but its the tallest tree I have ever seen in this state. They will never publicize it, though.

Forester-

The tallest tree our group has measured in New Hampshire is a white pine at 166.2', in Claremont. We have several very active members in New England.

Steve,
There is a group here in Pa that does that too. They list a 182.5' White Pine in the Allegheny National Forest as being the tallest recorded tree in the NE USA. I've seen some large specimens of WP and Hemlock in some pretty remote places while on my hunting jaunts but the most massive tree I've seen in Pa was a Sycamore, aka buttonwood.
The nomenclature for defining forest types seems to have changed since I was a kid. The term "virgin" forest is rarely heard nowadays. Instead "old growth" is more common. I think this is due to our perception of a forest as being a constantly changing system. "Climax forest" is another term I haven't heard much lately. I believe It denoted the ultimate end result as in which particular species would dominate any particular region. Perhaps they were terms used by the lumberman of old, who knew that the best lumber was found in areas never logged and who were not interested in replanting or restoring the forests for future generations. Forester, am I just imaging things or has the terminology changed?
John

John-

Members of our group documented a white pine in Cook Forest at 184.5' in 2009. We are planning to return to the tree this April to remeasure, with the expectation that it would be 185'+ by now if there is no storm damage. You're right, the terminology used in forestry and ecology has changes a lot in the past 40 years, and terms like 'climax forest' and 'virgin forest' are no longer used much in the field.

Steve

[Forester]

SRGBV,

PM on the way.

[MOONDAWG]

After careful consideration, and much thought, which is a feat within it's self due to all the dead brain cells inhabiting my cranium, I have reached a command decision...

There actually is one type of "Tree Hugger" I can relate to...in a manly, purely plutonic manner of speaking.

Good post thanks for sharing.

I'm just glad there were no plugs for tofu products.

[timetripper]

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