Tribbett Woods Nature Preserve

Finally!  After about ten straight days of chilled temperatures and overcast skies the sun came out to play yesterday and not a moment too soon.  Today was the day I was to meet up with friend and botanist/naturalist extraordinaire, Daniel Boone.  Now, I know what you're thinking, "How in the world could you go botanizing with the legendary pioneer and frontiersman who died almost 200 years ago?".  Obviously not the same man but they are directly related and both grew up to be accomplished and respected outdoorsmen.  Being able to spend time out in the field talking plants and natural history with someone as passionate and knowledgeable as Dan is worth its weight in gold and unbeatable for a botanical nerd like me.  Our area of focus for this expedition was the Southeastern quarter of Indiana, hitting a number of parks and preserves that held some unusual and rare sights.  There's no way I could properly tell the tale of our journey in one posting so I've decided to break it up into two; each with plenty of excitement to accompany the reader.  One stop along the way was an old-growth woods in Jennings County, outside the town of Commiskey, Indiana.  I've been to a number of old-growth forests in Ohio and Michigan of varying forest types but this proved to be one of the best and captivating of them all.

 *Remember to click on the pictures to view them in a more detailed, higher resolution!*

Tribbett Woods

Sweetgum and Beech fruits

Tribbett Woods Nature Preserve is one of the best remaining examples of an ancient southeastern flatwoods left in the state of Indiana today.  These forests grow on slow draining, light colored clay soils that create peculiar growing conditions that cause the unusual tree associations witnessed in places like Tribbett.  This forest type is found commonly throughout this area of Indiana known as the Bluegrass Natural Region but rare just about everywhere else.  Looking at the picture above, those who know their trees can deduct that Tribbett's unique forest type is that of American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) and Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua).  You've all heard of Beech/Maple, Oak/Hickory, Mixed Mesophytic etc., but Beech/Sweetgum?  It wasn't just the forest type that proved unusual but also some of the other species found inside and the unbelievable size some of the denizens show off.

American Beech

American Beech

The most commonly occurring tree in the wet woods was the Beech.  The stout, tall columns of the smooth and pasty Beeches really stood out against the darker colored trunks of the surrounding Sweetgums, Swamp Chestnut Oaks (Quercus michauxii) and Red Maples (Acer rubrum).  You can begin to gain an appreciation for the size of these trees when comparing a kneeling Dan to the accompanying behemoths.  The wet and mushy understory was comprised mostly of Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana) and Beech saplings with many vernal pools scattered across the landscape.  Like a lot of other old-growth woods I've frequented, the understory of this woods was relatively open.  With such tall and thick canopies you try getting adequate amounts of sunlight during the growing season!  The herbaceous layer was just coming to life with Spring and Purple Cress (Cardamine bulbosa, C. douglasii), Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica), Yellow Trout-lilies (Erythronium americanum) and LeConte's Violet (Viola affinis) just starting to bloom or bud.

Sweetgum

Sweetgum

While I've had plenty of opportunities to gawk at ancient, gargantuan Beech trees in the past it was the Sweetgum leviathans that I loved the most.  Almost all of the Sweetgums I've ever seen have been in landscaping or planted in Zaleski state forest and Wayne National; it was refreshing to see them in their indigenous habitat.  Not to mention in proportions you will never see in Ohio.  To slowly walk around the woods, stepping on hundreds of dried, spiky Sweetgum fruit pods, pushing them into the saturated ground instead of crunching them on concrete as I walk through the parking lot at school was a fun experience I took the time to enjoy and appreciate.

Shellbark Hickory

Shellbark Hickory

This next tree on display didn't come close to making the list of 'biggest diameters' but it's height was almost unmatched in the entire forest.  This Shellbark Hickory (Carya laciniosa) launched into the canopy like a space shuttle on launch day.  I would give an honest estimation of 150+ feet in height and I think Dan would back me up on that.  He's a professional arborist and has seen more trees of varying sizes than you, me, your neighbor and the entire town of Athens combined, so when he said it was one of, if not the tallest Shellbark he'd ever seen I took notice.  With the trees ever nearing their respective leaf out dates I'm thankful we got to see this woodland in its 'winter' state.  So much easier to witness and appreciate these colossal trees when naked...the trees, that is.

Swamp Chestnut Oaks

Swamp Chestnut Oak

Dan was kind enough to pose with these stellar examples of time-tested Swamp Chestnut Oaks (Quercus michauxii) to help you guys get a sense of their monstrosity.  Photographing old-growth woods is a tough challange; it's impossible to ever portray the woods even half as impressive as they truly are.  I've heard of Swamp Chestnut Oaks before but never had the chance to see one in person.  Southern Indiana is the extreme northern edge of its western range, so if any Ohioan wants to see these trees in their native habitat, southeast Indiana is as close as it gets; they are much more common in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal states.

Swamp Chestnut Oak

Swamp Chestnut Oak

Named Swamp Chestnut for its leaves that strongly resemble those of the Ohio native Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus) but easily told apart in its overlapping ranges by the bark and habitat.  Both of these Swamp Chestnut Oaks towered into the canopy at well over 120 feet and straight as an arrow.  To see trees these thick that hardly taper as they rise into the sky is an impressive sight that never grows old.

Blackgum

Blackgum

One of my favorite surprises inside Tribbett Woods were the few examples of astonishingly proportioned Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) trees scattered here and there.  At first glance most people would probably see the blocky bark and just assume a species of Ash (Fraxinus spp.) since I would imagine few people have ever laid eyes on Blackgums like this.  The only other time I've ever seen one this size is a lone one in an old cemetery in downtown Logan, Ohio (right next to the beefiest, thickest White Oak I've ever seen).  Once they grow to this size they exhibit almost no signs of their normally distinctive 90 degree branching, which can make identification a pain in the behind, but with some practice and familiarity you can pick them out based on their bark color/pattern.

Sweetgums

White Oak

 

As we continued through the preserve the forest continued to reveal more and more trees of fantastic proportions.  While the weather was warm with temperatures near 80 degrees and sunny skies, the wind was the major atmospheric factor of concern for the day.  Being in a forest as ancient as this with plenty of old, dead trees still standing and other living trees with large, potentially brittle branches it was necessary to keep a heads up while hiking around.  There was a positive side to it though.  The sound of the wind rushing through the skyscraper trees and the rustling and waving of the branches so high above us was music to my ears.  There's just a certain way an old-growth woods sounds in the wind that's unlike any other woods you will ever visit.  People always seem to be too busy getting from point A to point B on a hike or walk to take the time to stop and just appreciate the sounds around you.  Anyone who knows me and frequently hikes with me knows I am notorious for being a very slow and methodical hiker, only taking a few steps every so often.  The faster you go, the more you miss.

I can't thank Dan enough for introducing me to this fantastic and mesmerizing old-growth woodland  and being a good sport about posing with those mighty trees.  Visiting places like this never get old and it's my genuine hope and dream that places like this are protected forever as well as to allow current maturing woods the time to reach sizes and proportions such as this for future generations to see.  Ancient, old-growth forest is a ecosystem one can never have too much of.

 

Tune in the next or two for my second part dedicated to all the other places and plants we saw.  I thought this woods deserved it's own individual post dedicated to its large trees and interesting forest type.  I'll leave you with a couple photographs that I stitched together of the previously mentioned Shellbark Hickory and pair of enormous Sweetgums for your enjoyment.  Thanks for reading!

Shellbark Hickory

Sweetgums