Do YOU have a big or historical tree in Loudoun County? As development encroaches on our many doorsteps, a strong need to protect our tree heritage (among many other things) calls us to make a move.

A few years ago I arrived in Middleburg one June day to inject a very large American elm on Madison street in front of the police station. The day I arrived was a day too late because the tree had just shown its first signs of yellowing in the tree top, a sign that Dutch elm disease was already in place. The tree was promptly removed like so many others across the Midwest many years back. There are still some beautiful elms in Loudoun…Do YOU have a notable elm on your property?

I know of perhaps the largest bald cypress in Loudoun County (if yours is bigger, give me a call). This tree is reported to have been planted by Yardley Taylor back in the 1800's. Mr. Taylor was prominent in many circles of his time, including being a cartographer, politician, and an avid horticulturist. Growing next to this tree is also one of the largest gingko trees growing in this county, also likely to have been planted by the same man.

Big trees are matriarchs to behold. They have seen the passage of time and their growth rings would tell us their age and weather conditions of generations before us.

The Wye Oak (Maryland) that grew until it fell after a severe summer storm a year or so ago gave up its championship status to a Virginia white oak located somewhere in the southern counties. I intend to find that tree and be awed by its test of time and ability to avoid being struck by lightening. It is reported to be over 500 years old (older than the former Wye oak), 26 Feet in circumference, and is located in Warfield, VA. Anyone going down there soon?

Raising awareness to trees and their beauty is part of the Arbor Day celebrations in many communities each spring. The importance of trees is highlighted with these celebrations, thus planting seeds of growth for those who are so moved.

There is a Big Tree registry in every state as well as for the country. Virginia is updating the big tree candidates this year by finding and measuring trees currently on the list, submitting new candidates, and searching for undiscovered big trees worthy of mention. By Arbor Day next year, an updated Big Tree list will have been updated in the state of Virginia. There are only a handful of big Loudoun trees on this list…I know there are more!

This is a call to big Loudoun trees.

If you think you have a big and/or historical tree and would like to see if it is indeed one of our state's big trees or if you would like for your tree to be included in this list, contact Bonnie and Peter Deahl or Dana Malone at numbers indicated below:

Dana Malone 703.771.5991
Bonnie Deahl 703.661.1700
Peter Deahl 703.501.0417

For more information about the big trees:
www.americanforests.org/resources/bigtrees/
National Register of Big trees

www.cnr.vnr.edu/4h/bigtree/
Virginia's Register of Big Trees

Big trees cannot be replaced in our lifetimes…or in the lifetimes of our children or theirs.