Big Tree Registry
Since the 1940s, local governments and forest-related organizations have been searching for, identifying and documenting the biggest trees in the nation.
Virginia Big Tree Program
The Virginia Big Tree Program maintains a registry of the five largest specimens of over 300 native, non-native, and naturalized tree species. The Virginia Big Tree Program is coordinated by the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech.
Loudoun County has 15 of the state's champion or co-champion trees and has more than 41 trees in all listed in the Virginia Big Tree Program. Champion trees are the largest of their species.
Loudoun Big Tree Registry
Loudoun County maintains its own tree registry. One of the largest trees in Loudoun County is pictured above. The Shumard oak is located in Algonkian Regional Park. It is 112 feet high and 176"around the trunk. The tree is estimated to be about 200 years old. More information about the big trees in Loudoun may be found in the Loudoun County Big Tree Registry.
Nominations for the Loudoun Big Tree Registry
You can nominate a tree for the Loudoun County Big Tree Registry using the online form below:
Trees that are on private property can be entered into the registry without having the location disclosed to the general public. Anyone nominating a tree located on private land must have the property owner's permission to be nominated.
Interactive Map: Loudoun County's Big Trees
Loudoun County has an interactive map that shows the general location of the county's big trees.
Select the image to launch the map, which depicts the location of Loudoun's known big trees.
Click on a tree point represented by a tear drop shape and learn the common name of the tree in question, followed by the Latin name, and the tree's measurements, including the height, circumference and crown spread, which is the distance from one end of the tree's branches to the other end. (We average the crown spread from two measurements.)
Big Tree Poster
Select the image for a larger view of the Big Tree Registry poster (PDF), which shows some of Loudoun's Big Trees!
Did You Know?
The state of Virginia's biggest trees include:
- A water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) that is 474 inches in circumference. Fifty-five school age children could fit inside the circle of this tree.
- An American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) that is 137 feet high - as tall as a 14-story building
- A willow oak (Quercus phellos) that has a canopy spread of 137 feet, that would almost cover the width and half the length of a football field.
For More Information
For more information about the Loudoun County Big Tree Registry or more information about trees in Loudoun County, contact the Loudoun County Urban Forester John Zuiker at 703-771-5991 or by emailing John Zuiker.