Date: Sun 06-Oct-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

Shagbark-hickory-tree-contest

Full Text:

The Money Tree - Finding Newtown's Biggest Shagbark Hickory Means Big Bucks

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

Next time you take a stroll or hike in Newtown, tuck a long piece of string in

your pocket. This small effort could result in $500 if you happen to come

across the largest shagbark hickory tree in town.

Kids, adults, and organizations are invited to enter the Newtown Forest

Association's Oldest Living Shagbark Hickory Contest, which runs until April

25, 1997 (Arbor Day). Official entry forms are available at Newtown

Conservation Office in Town Hall South, and will be available at the library

when it reopens.

Prize money will be awarded to the first person or group to identify the

largest shagbark hickory in town, and 100 offspring of that tree will be

planted on some of the 60 properties owned by the Forest Association.

"The immediate objective is to get more trees with good genes planted," said

Allen Flouton, who suggested the contest. "But the side effects are going to

be quite educational. It will enable anybody - even children - to identify at

least one tree species, start learning about trees, realize leaves are all

different [for each species], and that the bark and fruit are also means of

identifying. It will also throw a little light on the history of Newtown."

The hardwood original forest in this area was comprised mostly of white ash

and shagbark hickory. In the early 19th century a great deal of the town's

land was cleared to make woodlands into pastures and fields. As people moved

west, many Newtown farms were abandoned and trees started springing up on the

open land, said Mr Flouton.

First growth trees are spread by birds from seed and include such species as

crab apple and red cedar. These are gradually replaced by evergreen trees, and

the conifers are eventually replaced by hardwoods. "We're getting a jump on

evolution by planting shagbark hickories now," said Mr Flouton.

The shagbark hickory was chosen as the focus of the contest because it is

prevalent in Newtown, and easy to identify in the winter. The bark is

distinctive - the large loose plates curl away from the tree at both ends, "a

bit in the shape of a canoe." The tree has a large five-leaflet compound leaf,

and white nuts enclosed by a large green husk about the size of a golf ball. A

more detailed description of the tree and picture of the leaves are available

at the Conservation Department.

The largest shagbark hickory in Connecticut documented by the Connecticut

Botanical Society is in Glastonbury, and when last measured was 136 inches in

diameter. "We're hoping Newtown can beat that if we look sharp," said Mr

Flouton.

Good sites for shagbark hickory hunting are state forest properties and old

farm lands near a hedgerow. But you might be surprised to find one right in

your own backyard.

Kelly O'Connor remembered learning about shagbarks hickories and other trees

in her third grade class at Head O'Meadow School. The 12-year-old, now a

student at St Rose, went back this week with her family to measure a large

tree right next to the parking lot of the school.

"I call these `fraction nuts' because they break into fourths," said Kelly,

picking up a nearby nut with a husk on it. "While we're riding around Newtown

we keep our eyes open. Naturally, I'm doing this for the reward. I want to buy

a trampoline and with the extra money I would go pleasure shopping."

Her younger sister, Katie, 9, began searching for a winning tree when she

thought the prize was five dollars. Now that the ante has been upped for her,

she would like to win the contest so she can buy a black thoroughbred horse.

James, 6, "the young botanist in the family," is looking for shagbark

hickories because he likes to eat the nuts and tries to climb the trees.

"If I won $500 I would buy an animal," he said. "I would buy a giraffe at the

zoo, if it was on for sale."

Contest rules, entry forms, and a description of the shagbark hickory are

available at Conservation Office, the library, and by sending a stamped,

self-addressed envelope to Newtown Forest Association, PO Box 213, Newtown

06470. The string used to measure the diameter of the tree must be included

with the entry form. For more information on the contest, contact Brian

Hennessey in the evening at 426-2756.