Lake St. Francis - Hatchie Coon Field Trip

Lake St. Francis - Hatchie Coon Field Trip
21-22 October 2006

Installed 07 Jan 2007. Latest updade 30 Sep 2008.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

The purpose the the field trip to Hatchie Coon Hunting and Fishing Club, East of Trumann, AR, in the St. Francis Sunk Lands, was to make an preliminary "look around" to see whether or not the Baldcypress trees in the area get younger and younger as one approaches the center of a hypothetical 1811 meteorite impact crater. The crater center (if it's there) would be located on the high ground of Hatchie Coon Island, some five miles north-northeast of the hunting club.

Participants: Scott F. May, organizer & host, (Memphis, TN), Wayne Hinds (Trumann, AR) and Robert Fritzius (Starkville, MS).

Topo Map Showing Items of Interest

St. Franics Topo Map-5

Area Survey 21 Oct 2006

cottonwood tree
at Rivervale

Old Cottonwood Tree at Rivervale

View is to the North.
Mean Breast Circumference approx 25 feet.
Estimated age is 300 +/- 50 years
This photo was taken on 27 Jan 2008.
The tree is roughly six miles southeast of the
center of Hatchie Coon Island.

Ground survey on morning of 22 October 2006.

Hatchie Coon ground survey
Ground survey path in area of
Hatchie Coon Hunting and Fishing Club
Bald Cypress in levee marked by white cross.

Bald Cypress in Levee. View is to the West
Mean Breast Circumference = 15 feet.
Coordinates: 35 deg 37.31 min N - 90 deg 27.82 min W
6.7 miles SSW from the center of Hatchie Coon Island.

Levee Cross Section (Looking to the East)
* * *
Water Survey on afternoon of 22 Oct 2006

Bald Cypress
* * *
Notes from 1990 University of Arkansas Tree Ring Dating
Courtesy David Stahle

Living Trees SFS 07A-D and SFS08A-D in Best Blind area
Condition of tree(s)
Mostly stove top with younger limbs but gorgeous old growth with moss and ferns. Slight lean = classic.
Micro site description
Cool small stand of old growth Cypress. No monster trees. All [trees are] defective but very nice. Only [the] best trees were cut away from this area, probably. [No mention is made of logging stumps.]
Laboratory Tree Ring Dating
Tree ID Earliest Ring
SFS07A...........1767
SFS07B...........Datable but [would require] too much work.
SFS07C...........1770
SFS07D...........1751
SFS08A...........1670
SFS08B...........1597
SFS08C...........1599
SFS08D...........1598