Community Corner

Centuries-Old Tree at River Farm is Largest of its Kind

River Farm's Osage Orange tree is at the top of a national ranking

Tree huggers don’t try and put your arms around this Fort Hunt tree.

The 2011 National Register of Big Trees has recognized an Osage orange tree (Maclura pomifera) on River Farm as the largest of its species in the United States.

The register, which is sponsored by conservation nonprofit American Forests, represents more than 660 species with trees in 46 states.

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The D.C.-based nonprofit ranks the trees according to a formula that takes into account the circumference, height, and crown spread. The tree with the highest number of points is named the national champion.

River Farm’s Osage orange tree scored 413 points, just barely beating out its co-champion tree in New Castle, Delaware, which scored 412 points.

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River Farm estimates that its winning tree is at least 200 years old, measures around 58 feet tall with an average crown spread of more than 90 feet.

The Osage orange tree, which is part of the same plant family as mulberries and figs, is resistant to drought, disease and insects, according to River Farm. In the fall, the long, pointed leaves turn deep yellow.

The register began in 1940 when a Connecticut chestnut Oak was nominated. By the next year, the American Big Trees Report launched with a total of 77 champions, according American Forests.

The conservation organization traces the idea of a ranking back to forester Joseph Sterns who advocated for finding and saving big trees in a 1940 issue of American Forests magazine

To find out more information about the ranking and American Forests click here.


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