| Common Name: yellow buckeye | Circumference: 295 |
| Species: | Height: 81 |
| Scientific Name: Aesculus flava | Crown: 56 |
| Native/Naturalized: Native to Virginia | Points: 390 |
| Status: alive | Last Measured: 2017 |
| National Champion: yes | Last Measured by: David Formella, Harry Van Guilder, and Eric Wiseman |
| Comments: This tree was declared a national champion in 2007. The property it occupies was acquired in 1970 by the US Forest Service. The trunk is hollow with an opening on the south side with room for about 3-4 people to stand inside. The tree has to be periodically monitored for an assortment of vines that want to creep up its trunk. There has also been an assortment of volunteer trees that have sprouted around its base, including boxelder and hackberry. Tree is in a relatively protected location.
2017 update: The canopy is very thin and the crown has lost significant branches over the years. Its survival is quite tenuous. Score has decreased, likely due to an overestimate of height in 2007 (laser hypsometer used in 2017) and decline of crown spread due to competition from invasives. Greatest size: 296" circumference, 94' height, 69' crown, and totaling 407 points. |
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Eric Wiseman August 2017 |
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| Location of Tree | |
| Tree is located in: Alleghany | Land Owner: U.S. Forest Service |
| GPS Coordinates: 37.793030, -79.759237 | Owner Email: Mailroom_R8_George_Washington_Jefferson@fs.fed.us |
| Directions: James River Ranger District. Just east of Iron Gate, near the confluence of the Cowpasture River and James River, where state route 633 crosses over the Cowpasture River. Tree is situated right next to a parking area for public access to the river (Evans Tract Boat Ramp). |
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| Owner Address: |
Owner Phone: 540-962-2214 |
| Contact Information | |
| Contact Name: Dan Miles | Permission to Advertise: Yes |
| Contact Email: miles.d@lynchburg.edu | Contact Address: Claytor Nature Study Center, Lynchburg College |
| Contact Phone: 434-661-8362 | |
| Contact Info: Previous contact and measurer: Keith A. Carson, PhD Land Steward Allegheny Highlands Office The Nature Conservancy, Virginia Chapter 12181-A Courthouse Hill Rd. Warm Springs, VA 24484 540-839-3599 kcarson@tnc.org | |
| Nominators |
| Original Nominator(s): Dan Miles |
| Other Nominators: |