It is a nondescript trailhead as the path enters a wood comprised of relatively small trees characteristic of succession – Black Locust, Hackberry, American Elm, and Redbud. The understory is crowded with Bush Honeysuckle.
But perhaps in one hundred yards the seen changes, as we encounter our first “Landmark Tree”, a fair sized Kentucky Coffee Tree.
Shortly the understory opens up and offers our first glimpse of the Ohio River down in the valley below.
This small nature preserve, like the City of Fort Thomas itself, is perched on a hill above the south bank of the Ohio River. The city is named after Fort Thomas, one of several Union forts that were established in Northern Kentucky during the Civil War to protect Cincinnati from attack by the Army of the Confederacy. The fort property itself was expanded in the late 1800s and it eventually became a full army barracks and induction center, where soldiers enlisted for the Spanish-American War and both World Wars. The preserve was established on some of the original fort property, and one could suspect that during the Civil War this hill was clear cut to allow for commanding views of the Ohio River, to thwart any attack by boat. In the preserve itself is a small remnant of what was probably a cannon battery overlooking the river.
As the trail continues one landmark tree after another presents itself. Quite uniquely, the trees are identified with 4 x 4 treated lumber posts that are engraved with the scientific name on one side, and the common name on another.
The challenge with making a commitment such as this is that the posts can be relatively permanent, but the trees less so. We saw that in a few locations where the post was still prominently displayed but the landmark tree was no more, as seen with this Black Cherry lying down the hillside.
That said, the trail was excellent. The north facing hillside was largely free of invasives and the open understory provided excellent views across the forest floor,
and of the Ohio River.
The wood is not “old growth” but certainly mature, and I suspect that many of the larger trees, like this massive Sycamore, date back to when the cleared hillside was allowed to reforest after threat from the south had ended.
The trail gently weaves its way across the terrain, crossing several ravines with the aid of well constructed bridges.
This urban/suburban oasis can not escape the sounds of humankind but that can add interest to the outing. Not only can one see barges carrying their loads up or down river, but often one will see small aircraft banking to land at Lunken Field, Cincinnati’s original airport, located across the river on the flood plain of the Ohio and Little Miami Rivers. Those kind of surprises can certainly add interest for kids that have joined you on a hike.
One of the things you can experience when you hike on rather steep hillsides is the opportunity to look into the canopy of trees that arise from further down the slope. In this case I found blankets of moss adorning the branches forty to fifty feet above the ground on a couple Linden trees.
On one section of the trail we wove through a grove of Yellow Buckeyes. In my experience Yellow Buckeye, with its smooth husk, is less common than Ohio Buckeye, with its prickly husk. This adolescent Yellow Buckeye specimen had an interesting plaquing to its bark.
A glimpse at the the range maps of both species shows little overlap.
Range maps of the Yellow Buckeye and the Ohio Buckeye.
Generally winter hikes in a mature wood feature fungi, and the Landmark Tree Trail was no different. These fungi were on a tree snag (upright dead tree) and are saprophytic, starting the decomposition process even though the trunk was still erect. Saprophytic fungi such as these, get their nutrition from decaying vegetative matter. These appeared almost plastic like, and on the underside one can see the gills of the organism from which spores are released.
There were a variety of other saprophytic fungi adorning logs on the forest floor.
Mosses also play a role in the breakdown of decaying logs, returning nutrients to the soil.
I particularly liked this small fern-like moss on the same log as the moss above. It was just a little larger than a quarter.
This minute mushroom had arisen on a bed of moss on a log.
The other thing you see in mature woods with standing snags (dead trees) are woodpeckers. On this short hike we saw 5 species of woodpeckers – Pileated, Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, and Northern Flicker. Unfortunately they did not always cooperate with the photographer.
Here is a male Downy, as noted by the small patch of red on the back of his head.
This Red-bellied Woodpecker was picking insects from tree bark.
And a Hairy woodpecker in flight.
This Robin, in contrast, thought she was brought in for a photo shoot.
One interesting sighting on this outing was this large burl on a Red Oak tree. Burls are abnormal woody growths on the trunks of trees. What was unusual was how symmetrical it was, encircling the entire base of the tree. Experts are not sure what causes burl formation, but it is generally believed that it is caused by some stressor such as a virus, fungus, insect, or freeze damage. The stress causes an increase in growth hormones which leads to an unusual woody mass with a gnarly grain. The rapid growth results in some striking patterns and coloration of the wood which has led to burl wood being sought after for custom furniture dating to the Art Deco period of the1920’s.
Finally, late winter is a good time to notice the buds on trees as they start to swell, getting ready to open in the spring. Below you can see the bud at the tip of a Pawpaw tree branch. Pawpaw buds have two scales that look like a pair of hands held in prayer, and they are covered with a fine felt. I’ve been told that John James Audubon used Pawpaw buds as paint brushes on some of his paintings.
In summary, the Landmark Tree Trail is a fun little jaunt. It has a broad collection of trees including some that are not that common such as Kentucky Coffee Tree, Shumard Oak, American Linden, and Yellow Buckeye. The vistas across the terrain and into the Ohio River Valley are nice, and I suspect that the clear understory has some nice spring wildflowers. It is the classic municipal preserve that offers some respite for hectic lives and it was clearly serving such function for the hikers we saw on our visit.
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Photo credits to Ellen Burns.
Overview:
Location – Carmel Manor Road, Fort Thomas, Kentucky, 6 miles from downtown Cincinnati.
Parking – 4 graveled spaces on a roadside pull off.
Facilities – None
Trail Conditions – Bare dirt or embedded gravel in good condition. Moderate rating due to terrain change. The is a 200 foot altitude change over the course of the hike.
Print Map Link – https://fortthomasky.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Visio-Tree-trail-new-topo.pdf
Benches – there were a couple but they appeared to be in disrepair.
Picnic Tables – A few at the site of the old fort battery, perhaps 100 yards onto the trail.
Kids – Kids four and over should do well here and may find the planes and barges an added attraction.
Dogs – Welcomed on a leash.
Paired Hiking Trails – There are additional trails at Tower Park which is about a half mile away.
Links:
https://fortthomasky.org/2015/10/02/landmark-tree-trail-map-and-tree-list/