Quote Originally Posted by DenOz View Post
Ash trees! I have noticed that the rocky part of the shorelines on Melvern, Pomona, Clinton, and Perry are now growing 1,000's of ash trees. 2 to 3 years old, and up to 14 ft tall. Any idea was has caused the sprouting of these trees?
DenOz,

I would have to say the trees you are seeing are a result of favorable water levels at the reservoirs during the period that the trees were dropping seed. This is regularly seen with cottonwoods and willows as their seeds disperse across the lake and then are concentrated along the downwind banks at a particular elevation. The tree seeds can be very dense at times. If the water level slowly falls, the tree seeds are "stranded" on the shoreline and if favorable conditions are present then the trees will sprout and begin growing. But if water levels rise again after the seeds have germinated then the can be drowned out and no trees will result. Sometimes perfect timing is present where trees seeds (or any seeds for that matter) are deposited by water and left alone and the plants grow in very dense clusters at a very particular depth contour. I haven't been to the NE Kansas lakes you listed in a number of years so I'm speculating on what you could be seeing. Given the nature of the very wet growing seasons we've had since 2007, I'm guessing the trees in question are a result of the fluctuating water levels during seed drop.