Jump to content
  • Member Statistics

    17,588
    Total Members
    7,904
    Most Online
    LopezElliana
    Newest Member
    LopezElliana
    Joined

New England Autumn Photos and Scenery


moneypitmike

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 100
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I took a drive up north today to the Mohawk Trail/Route 2 area for fall folaige viewing. We made it as far west as West Summit and then headed back east to circle on home. Foliage was peak between Shelburne and Charlemont and past peak in spots between there and West Summit especially above about 1,000' in elevation.

View from West Summit:

NA.jpg

View from Whitcomb Summit:

FV.jpg

I took a short hike into Mohawk Trail State Forest to where the large White Paper Birch live and sadly one of the big tree's has become sick and is losing it's bark since I last visited here in 2009. The large one on the left in the picture is about 4' in diameter and about 75' tall. The tree's are about 70 - 80 years old as this area was logged in 1930.

BB2.jpg

Some more peak foliage past Berkshire East Ski Area on Hawley Road:

FV2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took a drive up north today to the Mohawk Trail/Route 2 area for fall folaige viewing. We made it as far west as West Summit and then headed back east to circle on home. Foliage was peak between Shelburne and Charlemont and past peak in spots between there and West Summit especially above about 1,000' in elevation.

View from West Summit:

NA.jpg

View from Whitcomb Summit:

FV.jpg

I took a short hike into Mohawk Trail State Forest to where the large White Paper Birch live and sadly one of the big tree's has become sick and is losing it's bark since I last visited here in 2009. The large one on the left in the picture is about 4' in diameter and about 75' tall. The tree's are about 70 - 80 years old as this area was logged in 1930.

BB2.jpg

Some more peak foliage past Berkshire East Ski Area on Hawley Road:

FV2.jpg

Foliage is a bit duller than usual around here this year thanks to this past summer's drought. We had it worse than many places as it seemed like a lot of the heavy rain was either going north or south of us.

Wow...that white birch looks huge. It looks like the bark may have been peeled off of it by someone. People do the darndest things sometimes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Foliage is a bit duller than usual around here this year thanks to this past summer's drought. We had it worse than many places as it seemed like a lot of the heavy rain was either going north or south of us.

Wow...that white birch looks huge. It looks like the bark may have been peeled off of it by someone. People do the darndest things sometimes.

I doubt that this Birch is a victim of vandalism as the trail leading in is steep, not very well marked and difficult to find from Route 2. The backside of this birch is still in good shape, but the canopy was yellow and sickly looking while the giant next to it was healthy and green. It might just be a case of old age.

BB1-1.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All of PF's pics are great, but that one of "stacked lenticulars" above the maple-fire is absolute tops! And I agree, best fall colors in several years, though my area lost most of it with Saturday's wind and brief downpours.

White biirch are getting old at 70-80 yr, though occasionally an exceptional specimen can approach twice that, so "old age" is a strong possibility for that declining tree. However, they look closer to 20-24" in diameter (at 4.5' from the ground, the conventional measuring point in forestry), judging from the other trees, foliage size, etc. If they are truly closer to 4', I'll stand corrected, as I'm estimating from over 200 miles away. Two ft is still mighty large for forest-grown WB that has to compete for sunlight; the former (now deceased) national champion in Maine, which was a bit over 4' diameter, was a yard/fencerow tree with all kinds of room to grow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

White birch are getting old at 70-80 yr, though occasionally an exceptional specimen can approach twice that, so "old age" is a strong possibility for that declining tree. However, they look closer to 20-24" in diameter (at 4.5' from the ground, the conventional measuring point in forestry), judging from the other trees, foliage size, etc. If they are truly closer to 4', I'll stand corrected, as I'm estimating from over 200 miles away. Two ft is still mighty large for forest-grown WB that has to compete for sunlight; the former (now deceased) national champion in Maine, which was a bit over 4' diameter, was a yard/fencerow tree with all kinds of room to grow.

I took a self portrait in front of the base of the tree for diameter reference and you can see that this is an exceptionally large White Birch especially for one growing deep in a forest surrounded by other large tree's. This tree is located right alongside the Totem Trail and the end of the trail leads to old growth Eastern Hemlock's that are about 400 years old and are pre-settlement.

Another part of this forest on the opposite side of Route 2 has quite a few old tree's including some state champion tree's such as 122 White Pine's that are 150' tall and 14 that are 160' tall or better.

WBR.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took a self portrait in front of the base of the tree for diameter reference and you can see that this is an exceptionally large White Birch especially for one growing deep in a forest surrounded by other large tree's. This tree is located right alongside the Totem Trail and the end of the trail leads to old growth Eastern Hemlock's that are about 400 years old and are pre-settlement.

Another part of this forest on the opposite side of Route 2 has quite a few old tree's including some state champion tree's such as 122 White Pine's that are 150' tall and 14 that are 160' tall or better.

Agreed - not many forest-grown white birch get that big, though unless your dad was Andre the Giant I'll stick with 24" diameter being closer than 48". ;)

Those tall pines are remarkable - I think the tallest I've seen are in the 140-150' range. I believe the national co-champion white pine (from Michigan) was 170' or some such. Maine used to, may still have, the other co-champ, a shorter but thicker tree. Largest diamete pine I've actually measured was 57", in the woods about 10 miles west of Allagash village. However, it probably topped out at 110' or so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

went to SW vt (route 9 corridor) and then the N berkshires and saw pretty cruddy folliage, there were some decent spots on mt. greylock summit drive and a couple trees/areas in bennington vt area but other than that it was "pukish tint" to most color, esp in berkshires.

now i'm wondering if there is any hope to see decent folliage , perhaps in the monadanocks of nh, or even more locally in 128 corridor soon.

if anyone has any first hand account of monadanock folliage looking good (i.e matching stowe/or esp. north conway area) please let me know.

and any prospects for dynamite folliage in 128 belt ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took a drive out into Northwestern Connecticut / Southwestern Massachusetts today along routes 44 to 41 North and onto Route 7 North and finally to I-90 back to 1-91 and home. I have to say this year has some of the poorest quality foliage that I can remember for Southern/Central New England. Supposedly the Litchfield Hills are at "peak", yeah the peak of foliage ugliness. Non oak colors are muted if not already bare and most of the oaks are still green.

I didn't bother with any pictures as they where not worth the time. The foliage here at home is of better quality. Just giving my $0.02 worth for anyone taking a trip to these areas to see fall foliage. IMO it's not worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took a self portrait in front of the base of the tree for diameter reference and you can see that this is an exceptionally large White Birch especially for one growing deep in a forest surrounded by other large tree's. This tree is located right alongside the Totem Trail and the end of the trail leads to old growth Eastern Hemlock's that are about 400 years old and are pre-settlement.

Another part of this forest on the opposite side of Route 2 has quite a few old tree's including some state champion tree's such as 122 White Pine's that are 150' tall and 14 that are 160' tall or better.

WBR.jpg

You look like Bob with a stache
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took an afternoon trip to the top of Soapstone Mountain to view the near peak foliage in the Connecticut River Valley. The cold weather of late has really brightened up the foliage and the Oak's have started to turn.

The view looking Northwest with the Metacomet Ridge running along the length of this picture in the back-ground:

SS2-1.jpg

Downtown Springfield in the center of this picture:

SP-1.jpg

Mount Tom in the center right of this picture as the left leaning flat topped peak:

MT.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took the last fall foliage drive of the season here in Northern Connecticut up Sopastone Mountain and back home through Ellington. The fall foliage is at peak with the Oak's and mostly bare with other species. The hilltowns are now about 40-60% bare and fading very quickly.

View from Soapstone:

PC1-1.jpg

PK2.jpg

Downtown Ellington:

EL.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...