Timing the Oak Island clearing

[Armchair detective]

When the famous 3 showed up and started digging, they were IN A CLEARING.
(No baby red oaks growing). This could indicate the last activity before their excavation didn't happen but a short time earlier.

 

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[n2mini]

and we know that for a fact how. Not saying it's not true but how do we know, compared to what even the non believers have always heard..

 

[Armchair detective]

and we know that for a fact how. Not saying it's not true but how do we know, compared to what even the non believers have always heard..

Nothing about Oak Island origin stories can be stated as a fact - however, where the legends agree (there WAS a clearing), the likelihood of it being true is a little greater.

It's an assumption that "clearing" means no trees, brush. This can happen naturally, or with a recently deposited treasure, or a recently dug up treasure, or someone just recently also had a map and was guided to the same spot, etc, etc

There is even a possibility that someone made money selling fake treasure maps.

This is new thinking. It is giving me a headache.

 

[n2mini]

I think there was a time when a lot of the island was clear. Even as you see them out in the "lots" not normally searched the tress are relativity young. Not a lot of big old trees on them.. S Ball was a farmer so I'd think most all his land used to be clear while he was there..

 

[Armchair detective]

I think there was a time when a lot of the island was clear. Even as you see them out in the "lots" not normally searched the tress are relativity young. Not a lot of big old trees on them.. S Ball was a farmer so I'd think most all his land used to be clear while he was there..

You can see from aerial photos of oak island over the years that the forest boundaries really ebb and flow.
And let's not forget tree canopies prevent sunlight from reaching the ground, which is essential for saplings to grow.
Now we need a tree guy to weigh in. The question is how long does a clearing stay a clearing?

 

[Blackfoot58]

Shorter growing season up there. That affects trees too.

 

[releventchair]

You can see from aerial photos of oak island over the years that the forest boundaries really ebb and flow.
And let's not forget tree canopies prevent sunlight from reaching the ground, which is essential for saplings to grow.
Now we need a tree guy to weigh in. The question is how long does a clearing stay a clearing?

Depends!
Natives used to burn low cover. As did later arrivals. Or at least some of them..
An high cycle population of mice and or voles can be hard on a year class of sprouted acorns. Or on the more delicate bark of younger seedlings or even saplings.
A failed mast (acorn) crop for a year or multiple years could see more young trees girdled and dead over the course of a winter or subsequent winters. Inner bark can keep some rodents alive when nothing else exists to eat. Rodents and other causes of mortality decline , trees can see a surge of a seedling year class flush. With note of your canopy factor applying of course.
Storms, floods, droughts, lightning, humans. An old oak is a survivor.

Soil type matters. Highly mineralized low organic material soil scars remain near sterile (as far as life)for a long time. The "sand blows" of exhausted prior good soils are evident in places.
In other areas that were glacial scoured there are varied deposits , and areas of sand that just don't have enough in them to sustain life in multiple season climes. Note dunes and their histories.

Something you might look for in history specific to Oak Island is if it had any oak savannas on it.
They would make your opening span question even more interesting.

Not sure why I've envisioned the trio of youths oak as being near shoreline. Very near.

The specific clearing you're inquiring of can be unique to the islands clearings for all I know.
Humans were altering the islands flora and plant /tree succession prior and during. As was nature.
An isolated incident and presto, your clearing is unique.

 

[Armchair detective]

First, thanks for all the information and your time.
With so many variables it's going to be tough to figure out the lifecycle of a clearing, but we do know some things.

If an expansion of the perimeter of the forest happened, the trees would flow outward and around an area. This is a clearing's "birth".

Surrounding it and contracting the open area to nothing would mean it's "death".

There are LOTS of aerial pictures, so it might be possible to establish an average rate of "takeover", and just assume it was the same then as it is now.

Any REAL old trees still surviving could be cored and give some weather history, but I hear there was an infestation of beetles and logging activity which probably wiped them all out.

So how long does a clearing "live"?

 

[releventchair]

First, thanks for all the information and your time.
With so many variables it's going to be tough to figure out the lifecycle of a clearing, but we do know some things.

If an expansion of the perimeter of the forest happened, the trees would flow outward and around an area. This is a clearing's "birth".

Surrounding it and contracting the open area to nothing would mean it's "death".

There are LOTS of aerial pictures, so it might be possible to establish an average rate of "takeover", and just assume it was the same then as it is now.

Any REAL old trees still surviving could be cored and give some weather history, but I hear there was an infestation of beetles and logging activity which probably wiped them all out.

So how long does a clearing "live"?

Clearings are a boon to tree seedling and seed bank flush. That magic sunlight hitting the ground.
'
Depends on .....
But a few to several years in richer soils and softwoods when you struggle to force your way through them. Doghair thick.
Poorer soil it can be longer before saplings pose a hazard to travel. And decades to grow fencepost sized trees.

A poplar/aspen cut can be tough to get through the second year of second growth.

Former "edge" should contrast from a successive specie of tree. Sun again . Able to reach that edge and brush type specie have a chance.
The oak savanna is kind of an exception. Mature trees eventually but spread enough to not choke out the understory.( So why few to no saplings?)

 

[Armchair detective]

Our suspect clearing is about 150 ft from a southern? Island shore , elevation about 30 ft, weather 45° N Lat.

Most of the factors you've listed as variables appear to be temporary abberations, i.e. the forest "retreats" in response to the event for a couple of years, recovers, then goes back to doing its thing.

If the type of soil could be determined as "normal", a clearing "life span" might still
be established.

Naturally not with precision, but if for example it was say 100 +/- 20 years we could eliminate origin stories where the treasure was buried more than that since the clearing didn't exist when that was supposed to have happened.

Anyway, thanks for the help.

 

[releventchair]

Our suspect clearing is about 150 ft from a southern? Island shore , elevation about 30 ft, weather 45° N Lat.

Most of the factors you've listed as variables appear to be temporary abberations, i.e. the forest "retreats" in response to the event for a couple of years, recovers, then goes back to doing its thing.

If the type of soil could be determined as "normal", a clearing "life span" might still
be established.

Naturally not with precision, but if for example it was say 100 +/- 20 years we could eliminate origin stories where the treasure was buried more than that since the clearing didn't exist when that was supposed to have happened.

Anyway, thanks for the help.

Should you pursue such establishment be sure goat grazing , free ranging of cattle or hogs, deer or other browsers in population booms ect. or similar wasn't at play during intervals of varied succession..