'Monster' Trees Sought In Loudoun County

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Break out your inner Lorax and go tree hunting. Not just for any tree, mind you. No, Loudoun County is searching for what it calls "monsters," trees so big that the aforementioned noun aptly describes. When and if you find one, officials want you to nominate it for Loudoun County's Big Tree Registry.

"This is a fun way for us to get people involved in appreciating all trees — big and small," county urban forester John Zuiker said in a release. "(It can) help increase awareness about the value of trees and forests in Loudoun and the state of Virginia." (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. Also, like us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The county already has 15 of Virginia's largest trees, called "champions" or "co-champions." The one pictured above is a Shumark oak in Algonkian Regional Park. It's 112 feet high, 176 inches around the trunk and around 200 years old. Click here to see it's Big Tree registry. Click here for an interactive map of the county's larger trees. Click here for the Big Tree nomination form.

Among Virginia’s biggest trees, per the county:

• 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 about the Loudoun County Big Tree Registry or more information about trees in Loudoun County, contact Zuiker at 703-771-5991 or by email.

Photo: Loudoun County Big Tree Registry