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John Kilcullen doesn’t remember when he became fascinated with trees. It seems he always was.
“The more I learn about them, the more I love them,” said Kilcullen, the director of Conference House Park.
He has been sharing that love on his Instagram account by documenting street and park trees all over Staten Island in a lead up to celebrating Arbor Day.
And on Arbor Day itself, April 24, he shared his knowledge of trees by providing a tour of native and historic trees on the grounds of Conference House Park. He did that on Facebook which can be seen here (even if you are not a member of Facebook). Here is part 1.
Follow this link for part 2.
The park, located in Tottenville in the southern most part of New York State, surrounds the historic stone manor house built in 1680, that is named for the unsuccessful Revolutionary War peace conference that was held here on September 11, 1776. There are three other historic buildings, over 250 acres of parkland on the Raritan Bay making it a great place for history, recreation and exploring nature.
Before his Facebook live appearance, Kilcullen dropped by a Zoom Life-Wire News meeting where he answered a few questions about trees.
How can you tell how old a tree is?
The classic way to tell how old a tree is, everyone knows, is to count the rings. But the only way to do that is to cut the tree down. You don’t want to kill the tree to see how old it is. Kilcullen had an interesting way of estimating the age of a catalpa or Indian bean tree, one of his favorites in West Brighton.
- Judging from the photos from the 1940 tax records, a catalpa tree in West Brighton is over 100 years old. The catalpa features giant heart-shaped leaves, dangling bean-like seed pods and twisting trunk and branches. (Life-Wire News) Life-Wire NewsLife-Wire News
He researched a 1940s tax photo where the tree is visible and he estimated it was at least 20 years old. So, he says, “the tree is easily well over 100 years old.”
There are other ways to tell the age of a tree without cutting it down. Here is how to measure it and here even more ideas.
- A pin oak in early spring in New Springville. (Life-Wire News/Aaron Bialer) Life-Wire NewsLife-Wire News
How do you identify a tree?
Aaron Bialer had taken a dramatic photo of a tree earlier in the spring. Kilcullen identified it as a pin oak, probably 40 to 50 years old. How did he figure that out so fast, we asked.
“Every tree species is very individual. It has a certain look,” said Kilcullen. “The more you observe trees, the more familiar you are with that look.”
Kilcullen also shared one of his favorite books -- “Bark” by Michael Wojtech.
- Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast by Michael Wojtech (Life-Wire News)(Life-Wire News)
“That could be a book about dogs,” quipped Anthony DiFato. The subtitle gives it away, though: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast.
“Just as we all have different skin and colors, trees have different barks that you can use to ID trees,” said Kilcullen.
“You know you are a tree geek when you buy a book about bark,” he laughed.
What happens to a tree when it is hit by lightning?
Bialer asked this question. He had also taken a photo of this tree after thunderstorms this week. It appears to illustrate a fresh strike.
- A lightning strike in New Springville after a recent storm. (Life-Wire News/Aaron Bialer) Life-Wire NewsLife-Wire News
“Lightening splits or shatters the wood,” said Kilcullen. “Basically lightening passes through the tree and kills that section of the tree. The rest of the tree is alive, but the tree might be unstable.”
Kilcullen said the historic tulip poplar in Clove Lakes Park has a lightning protection system.
“It’s the largest tree in New York City,” said Kilcullen. “It would take nearly 10 of us holding hands to go around the tree.”
- The tulip poplar in Clove Lakes Park is the largest tree in New York City. It is located at Forest Avenue and Clove Road. (Staten Island Advance)(Staten Island Advance)
At over 110 feet tall, it is a target in thunderstorms. So a lightning rod was placed at its top with a copper wire that directs the electrical charge to the ground.
Kilcullen looked forward to answering more questions on the Facebook Live. He left to go survey the park to see if any trees or branches came down in the wind and lightning of the day before.
As a former borough arborist, Kilcullen doesn’t limit himself when it comes to surveying trees. He is on the lookout wherever he goes on Staten Island which you can appreciate through his Instagram account. He also captures the beauty of trees in his posts on The Sunrise Club, a Facebook page he helped organize where you will find photos on not only the sun coming up, but sunsets, moon rises and other celestial events.
Another way to enjoy the trees of New York City is to visit Great Trees of New York City and Parks@Home: NYC Parks.
-- Written collaboratively by Aaron Bialer, Anthony DiFato, Steven Filoramo, Joseph Padalino, and Gregory Perosi for Life-Wire News Service with Kathryn Carse
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