Big Old Trees In PA

 

Located in the Belltown Cemetery, Belltown PA

A year or so ago, a friend of mine took a hike to see really huge old trees here in PA.  I keep meaning to ask how she got there, but I haven't yet.  I know it was somewhere near Elk County - but every time I get out that way, it is to look for elk!  :-)

This past week-end we found a geocache called "canoewood".  Unfortunately the tree is no longer alive, but it was still really neat to see.

The geocache description - "The name canoewood refers to the trees use for construction of dugout canoes by Eastern Native Americans, for which its fine grain and large trunk size is eminently suited.

Maximum circumferences for the tulip poplar is between 24 and 30 feet at breast height, although a few historical specimens may have been slightly larger. Today, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has the greatest population of tulip trees, 20-feet and over in circumference. The largest volume tulip tree known anywhere is the Sag Branch Giant, which has a trunk and limb volume approaching 4,000 cubic feet. Visit the link below, for more information about the tulip tree.

This particular tree measures 23 feet 8 inches at the base. We found it while exploring another cemetery in the area. There are several other very large trees at the cemetery as well."

Monumental Trees is a site with the sizes and locations of the largest (recoreded) trees in the state - http://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/records/usa/pennsylvania/

The PA DNCR has a page devoted to "Old Growth Forests", with a driving tour of them - 
"Located primarily in north-central Pennsylvania, the twenty sites on the Auto Tour of Old Growth Forests represent many different ecosystems, not only deep classic "big tree" forests. Most of the sites are within what is known as the Lumber Heritage Region, the 15 counties from which most of the timber resources were extracted in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Much of this area has now once more become a heavily wooded area, with over 2.5 million acres of Federal and State forests." http://dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/oldgrowthforests/index.htm

The PA Forestry also has a site "Champion Trees of Pennsylvania" - http://www.pabigtrees.com/Default.aspx

This site lists some of the largest trees in Cook Forest - http://www.nativetreesociety.org/fieldtrips/penna/old_growth_forests_in_pa.htm

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