Tree Information
Common Name: pignut hickory
Scientific Name: Carya glabra
Native/Naturalized: Native to Virginia
Database ID: 3022
Status: alive
National Champion: no
Virginia Champion: yes
Circumference: 159 in.
Height: 132 ft.
Crown: 73 ft.
Points: 309
Date Last Measured: 2023
Last Measured by: Dan Miles and Beck Stanley
Date First Measured: 2023
Comments:
From nominator Dan Miles: The tree is in fine condition, with an apparently solid trunk that arches gently over the cove below, and rises to great heights before the first branch. I was walking with a friend on a closed Forest Service road, where it meanders in and out of steep, rich coves, while we admired some grand trees in an open grove of mostly tuliptrees over a hundred years old. I noticed an exceptionally large tree, about four feet in diameter, with a very clean bole and broad canopy. Such a large tree with that form I thought must be a red oak, but approaching it, I realized that this was the biggest hickory I had ever seen! We made an informal trunk measurement, checked the big tree database, and realized that we had a possible champion pignut hickory!
Tree is located on a steep slope, so the trunk girth was measured 4.5' above the mid-slope position. Terrain and height of tree make field measurements of height and crown spread very difficult. Therefore, 2017 LiDAR from USGS was used to measure those dimensions.
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Location of Tree
Tree is located in: Botetourt
Land Owner: U.S. Forest Service
GPS Coordinates: 37.5035, -79.56875
Directions: Located in the Glenwood/Pedlar Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, southeast of Arcadia. Near the end of Forest Service Road 3101, which is unpaved and is gated seasonally to prevent road damage. The tree is visible from this road during the dormant season and is a short walk down a spur ridge from the roadbed. Several pullovers along the road near the tree are available for parking.
Contact Information
Contact Name: Dan Miles
Contact Email: miles.d@lynchburg.edu
Contact Info: Beck Stanley contact info on private record.
Nominators
Original Nominator(s): Dan Miles
Other Nominators: Beck Stanley
Additional Information
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