Tallest Known PIne Tree 268 feet

[mdvaden]

Update about the tallest pine tree - Ponderosa - that I posted a pic of in the Impressive Trees & Photos topic the other day:

Got a call and email from the forest service office near it, expressing interest to know it's whereabouts so that not just the pine, but its immediate habitat can be taken care of.

With 8 readings, Michael T. came up with 268 feet. Sounds fine. Because I got around 255 feet, but was standing uphill on the other side and had not added in the grade increase or the height to my eye level where the rangefinder was.

LINK: Tallest Pine Tree 2011

It will still be measured again with a tripod, but the numbers should not change much.

99.9% certain this is at the 268 foot level. There's always potential for equipment error. But I got a big reading from the opposite side that was very close, and hadn't even added the height to my eye or that I was uphill form the base. So this should hold.

Plan to look for more this month, burn off some calories, and get fresh air.

Not sure if you saw the Tallest Christmas Trees topic too. But apparently that scenerio is snowballing according to a reporter from Idaho area.

Sounds like a company in that Idaho area may have sent out surveyors in response to Ferndale trying to inch-up its tree height numbers.

That one is amusing.

 

[marlinspiker]

what measurement technique did you use? are you familiar with the ents method?

http://www.nativetreesociety.org/

its cheap and easy and has proven accurate countless times with drop tape measurements.

 

[mdvaden]

[ QUOTE ]
what measurement technique did you use? are you familiar with the ents method?

http://www.nativetreesociety.org/

its cheap and easy and has proven accurate countless times with drop tape measurements.

[/ QUOTE ]

We use both the Trupulse and Impulse laser rangefinders, which have proven accuracy countless times.

I read the ENTs pages quite often. Good techniques.

One redwood researcher commented that measurements (by Atkins) were sometimes within a few centimeters of his tape drops. That's why we have been using the Impulse unit to measure and record data for the LiDAR redwoods in northern California.

On this pine, the Impulse was used 8 times. The instrument is remarkably precise. Especially when put on a tripod and used with a trigger cable. It's slick the way that the rifle-like scopes mount to them too. But for $3000, may as well.

In a way, you could say we are using the ENTs method, but just streamlined. Tallest actual leader or foliage, and average of high and low grade, or point of germination. But the lasers internal technology takes care of a lot of the math stuff. Means we can measure a lot of trees in a day if needed.

 

[treewill]

Yeah, Mike swung by the southern coast range on that same trip to measure some tall doug firs with us, told us about the find. Pretty sweet, although I bet that with some more exploring an even taller one will come out of the woodwork, so to speak.

Great work!

 

[mdvaden]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, Mike swung by the southern coast range on that same trip to measure some tall doug firs with us, told us about the find. Pretty sweet, although I bet that with some more exploring an even taller one will come out of the woodwork, so to speak.

Great work!

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like you burned off some calories that day from what I heard.

Update:

Including today's repeat visit to southern Oregon, there are now 4 new world's tallest pines. All Ponderosa.

268.35' ~ 266' ~ 262' ~ 259.5'

And 8 new tallest known Ponderosa pines.

 

[Gerald_Beranek]

She's a beauty. I went to see the one in the Rough about 20 years ago. The numbers were pretty close. A double top thing.

 

[mdvaden]

The gateway to this Siskiyou National Forest is flanked with some waterfalls. Likewise with the Rogue River area west of Merlin. Worth the visit if anyone is into photographing.

We were back again once more today to meet the news folks from southern Oregon. Also found 2 more super tall Ponderosa pines in the afternoon.

Plus, met a Frank Callahan, who has nominated a lot of champion trees in Oregon. Surprised we never crossed paths when I lived near Medford and Jacksonville a few years ago.