Pasture Pine
More about Pasture Pines
White Pine Weevil
The white pine weevil is a native species. This insect targets the terminal leader—the topmost shoot—of the tree, leading to deformities such as the multiple trunks that you see here. In early spring, adult weevils become active, feeding and laying eggs in the bark of the previous year’s leader. Larvae hatch and tunnel downward, girdling and killing the leader. By mid-July, new adults emerge, feed briefly, and then overwinter in ground litter at the tree’s base.
Dating Trees
So far, we have been measuring the circumference of a tree at breast height and using an online calculator to estimate its age. Pasture pines with multiple trunks can overstate the trees age using this method. The trunks can distort the results because they produce larger rings at the base to help support the heavier than normal tree.
A better method is to count the rings. An increment borer can extract a core sample without damaging the living tree.
Ring counts are not foolproof! Trees may produce “false rings” during years of unusual weather conditions. For example, drought followed by high rain can trigger a secondary growth ring in the same year. Cooler climates are less likely to experience this kind of growth. There can also be missing rings in years of extreme drought or defoliation. The older the tree, the more opportunities there are for abnormalities, too. Maine has a fairly consistent climate without extreme drought or rainfall. Therefore, using ring counts is the best method for estimating the age of a tree and placing it in a historical context.
It is possible that there were two distinct pastures on this property. Studying the location and age of the pine trees will establish the range of the former pasture that was here.
Combining Evidence
Notice the surroundings. All the nearby trees are much younger. Considering that with the broad branches and its location near the edge, as defined by the stone wall, it is highly probably that this was one of the first trees to colonize when the pasture was abandoned. Sheep fever began in __ when the first Marino sheep were brought to Warren Maine. It ended when the price of wool collapsed and when mid-west farmers with better soils began raising sheep.
Crowd Sourcing: Your Thoughts
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Pine Project:
To properly map the forest, we need to date all the large pines. From that we can more definitively spell out the history of this land. The age of a standing tree can be estimated by measuring the circumference and applying the standard growth rates for the particular species. The most accurate method to pinpoint the age of a tree is to simply count the growth rings. For living trees an increment borer is used to extract a small core sample. An increment borer with the required bits costs a few hundred dollars. All large pine trees should be dated, geolocated, cataloged, and mapped. We are seeking volunteers to participate in this project.
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