Run your hand across the bark of the ancient tree. It is craggy and weathered, splotched by moss and pale green lichens.
Now look up. You’re in the presence of a giant.
Scattered throughout East Texas are a handful of trees that have escaped the logging and clearing of the past 150 years. With help from a state program that identifies and protects the biggest of the big, many of them will still be here long after their current owners are gone.
“Big trees really capture people’s imaginations,” said Pete Smith, a Texas Forest Service employee who manages the state program called Big Tree Registry.
“Especially the biggest of the big, they really dwarf us, and I think there’s some connection that people have with the biggest trees. Of course, this is Texas, so the biggest of anything is noteworthy,” Smith said. “And finding a true champion really does spark the imagination because the tree is older than us, in all likelihood, and anything that lasts longer than a human’s lifespan we memorialize in some way.”
It’s worth noting that those saplings will grow into helpful giants that suck up carbon dioxide, release the oxygen that people breathe, hold soil in place, shade homes and provide habitat for wild animals, arborists say.
Many of the trees on the Big Tree Registry come from the counties surrounding Longview. By identifying the state’s largest pines, oaks and other species, the forest service aims to protect the arboreal specimens while sparking an interest and appreciation for trees.
“My goal is to bring these trees to the public so people can ultimately see them, if not touch them,” Smith said.
Of the nearly 20 champion trees in the Longview area, the winning loblolly pine, willow oak, wax myrtle and eastern redbud are profiled below.
LOBLOLLY PINE
Scientific name: Pinus taeda
Where: Rusk County
Circumference: 165 inches
Height: 130 feet
Crown spread: 49 feet
Measured: November 2008
Nominated by: Fred Spivey
Not long ago, Texas’ biggest loblolly pine tree on record was just one of many giant pines that grew in a forest near Mount Enterprise.
“I was raised up where that tree was,” said Fred Spivey, a Mount Enterprise timber grower. “I lived maybe four miles from there. We’d go in there and squirrel hunt with a shotgun, and those trees were so tall a shotgun wouldn’t shoot a squirrel at the top. But you could shoot it with a .22.”
By the time Spivey purchased the property in 1992, the giant pine was the only big tree left standing on the property.
“The guys that owned the land before that, they cut everything,” he said. “There could have been some trees just as big, but they cut everything. That was a shame. I would have saved all the big trees, but they done that before I bought the land. Lucky they didn’t cut this one.”
Spivey also owns the state’s No. 2 giant loblolly, on a different property in Mount Enterprise. The No. 1 tree, he estimates, is between 150 and 200 years old. He keeps the area trimmed and has planted timber around it, so it’s no longer alone in a clear-cut field.
“It worried me that lightning would strike it because it was standing by itself,” he said.
WILLOW OAK
Scientific name: Quercus phellos
Where: Harrison County
Trunk circumference: 244 inches
Height: 107 feet
Crown spread: 118 feet
Measured: August 2008
Nominated by: David Simpson
Before the Civil War, a willow oak grew on a cotton plantation in Karnack, where more than 100 slaves toiled for a pioneer woman and likely divorcee named Rebecca McIntosh Hagerty.
Later, Lady Bird Johnson’s family owned the property, known as the Phoenix plantation, and the tree continued to grow.
Today, it’s the largest known willow oak in Texas, with limbs so big they could pass for trees in their own right. Owner David Simpson estimates the oak is around 200 years old.
“It’s just a mammoth tree. It covers almost two acres of ground,” said Simpson, a timber grower who purchased the property in 2002. “We all speculate that this big old tree was probably a hanging tree at one time. Its big and low-lying limbs would suit a quick rope and noose, but that’s just pure speculation.”
The Hagerty family’s remains are buried in a little cemetery near the tree, not far from a historic barn that Simpson has converted into a lodge for his family.
When a tree doctor left a rope hanging from the oak, Simpson turned it into a swing.
“My children love to swing on it,” he said. “It’s a very enjoyable tree. It provides a lot of shade and causes you to speculate about what happened in the previous 200 years.”
WAX MYRTLE (SOUTHERN BAYBERRY)
Scientific name: Morella cerifera
Where: Gregg County
Trunk circumference: 17 inches
Height: 29 feet
Crown spread: 18 feet
Measured: July 2006
Nominated by: Dencil Marsh
Dencil Marsh was exploring a forest one day when he stumbled upon an oddly shaped tree growing in a depression on 30 acres that had been set aside for the Longview Arboretum and Gardens.
It was a wax myrtle tree, and it dwarfed the others he has seen.
“It’s a shrub or bushy tree that every rancher in East Texas tries to get rid of,” said Marsh, the arboretum founder.
“It’s a nuisance to every farmer in East Texas.”
Later, Marsh showed the wax myrtle to Stephen F. Austin State University horticulturist Dave Creech, who was in town while developing a master plan for the arboretum, which is next to the Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center.
“He said, ‘Golly, Dencil, that’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen. That might be some kind of record.’ ”
Texas Forest Service employees went out to measure it, and sure enough, it was the biggest.
“Right now we’ve got the bragging rights,” Marsh said. “Now, it’s not much of a tree, but it’s not much of a bush, either.”
EASTERN REDBUD
Scientific name: Cercis canadensis var. canadensis
Where: Upshur County
Trunk circumference: 78 inches
Height: 42 feet
Crown spread: 40 feet
Measured: April 1997
Nominated by: Marie Johnson
The state’s biggest redbud is a reminder that even champions grow old and die. State forester Ken Conaway of Gilmer checked on the redbud in Ore City a week ago and found that time has taken its toll on the tree. It is no longer the magnificent specimen it was in 1997, when Marie Johnson nominated it.
“There is another contender for the title in Smith County, and I suspect it may declared the champion soon,” Conaway said in an e-mail.
2,358 responses to “Forest giants weather age, development”
Top ,.. top top … post! Keep the good work on !
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this write-up plus the rest of the site is really good.
Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!
wonderful submit, very informative. I wonder why the other experts of this sector don’t realize this. You must continue your writing. I am confident, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
Definitely consider that that you stated. Your favorite reason appeared to be at the net the easiest thing to take into account of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while other people consider worries that they plainly don’t realize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest and also outlined out the whole thing with no need side-effects , folks can take a signal. Will likely be again to get more. Thanks
hi!,I like your writing very much! share we communicate more about your article on AOL? I need an expert on this area to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
One thing I would like to say is the fact that before buying more personal computer memory, check out the machine directly into which it is installed. Should the machine is definitely running Windows XP, for instance, a memory ceiling is 3.25GB. Setting up in excess of this would basically constitute a waste. Make certain that one’s motherboard can handle the upgrade volume, as well. Thanks for your blog post.
Excellent goods from you, man. I have take into account your stuff previous to and you are simply too fantastic. I really like what you’ve received right here, certainly like what you’re saying and the best way wherein you assert it. You are making it enjoyable and you still care for to stay it sensible. I can’t wait to learn far more from you. That is really a great web site.
hello!,I like your writing so much! share we communicate more about your article on AOL? I need an expert on this area to solve my problem. May be that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
I think this is among the such a lot important information for me. And i’m happy reading your article. However should commentary on few general issues, The web site style is ideal, the articles is really nice : D. Good task, cheers
Good ?I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your website. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs and related info ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it at all. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, site theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Nice task..
F*ckin?amazing issues here. I? very satisfied to look your post. Thank you a lot and i’m taking a look forward to contact you. Will you please drop me a e-mail?
You could certainly see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.
A formidable share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing slightly analysis on this. And he in truth purchased me breakfast because I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the deal with! However yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love studying more on this topic. If potential, as you develop into experience, would you thoughts updating your blog with more particulars? It’s highly helpful for me. Massive thumb up for this weblog publish!
I? not sure where you’re getting your info, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for wonderful info I was looking for this info for my mission.
Interesting blog post. Some tips i would like to add is that laptop or computer memory must be purchased but if your computer can’t cope with that which you do with it. One can deploy two RAM boards having 1GB each, in particular, but not certainly one of 1GB and one of 2GB. One should make sure the car maker’s documentation for own PC to make sure what type of storage it can take.
Thanks for these pointers. One thing I also believe is the fact credit cards supplying a 0 monthly interest often entice consumers along with zero interest rate, instant endorsement and easy on the web balance transfers, nevertheless beware of the real factor that will certainly void your 0 easy street annual percentage rate and also throw one out into the bad house rapid.
Heya i am for the primary time here. I came across this board and I in finding It truly helpful & it helped me out much. I am hoping to give something back and help others such as you aided me.
Top site ,.. i will save for later !
Drive gently over the stones.
Top site ,.. amazaing post ! Just keep the work on !
People always make the wolf more formidable than he is.
Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Very helpful info specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such info much. I was seeking this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.
Thank you for writing this article. I appreciate the subject too.
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You clearly know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your blog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?
Thanks for your fascinating article. Other thing is that mesothelioma is generally caused by the breathing of fibers from mesothelioma, which is a carcinogenic material. It is commonly found among workers in the engineering industry who definitely have long experience of asbestos. It can also be caused by residing in asbestos protected buildings for a long period of time, Inherited genes plays a huge role, and some people are more vulnerable for the risk as compared with others.
I?e read a few just right stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how much effort you put to create this kind of great informative web site.
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d certainly donate to this superb blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will share this site with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
I was just searching for this information for some time. After 6 hours of continuous Googleing, finally I got it in your site. I wonder what is the lack of Google strategy that do not rank this kind of informative sites in top of the list. Generally the top web sites are full of garbage.
How do I find out more?
A person necessarily lend a hand to make seriously articles I would state. This is the first time I frequented your website page and so far? I amazed with the research you made to make this particular put up amazing. Magnificent job!
I really enjoyed reading your post and it helped me a lot
Dude these articles are great. They helped me a lot.
You helped me a lot with this post. I love the subject and I hope you continue to write excellent articles like this.
Well I sincerely liked studying it. This tip offered by you is very effective for good planning.
Thank you for your articles. They are very helpful to me. May I ask you a question?
Your articles are extremely helpful to me. Please provide more information!
You’ve been great to me. Thank you!
You’ve been really helpful to me. Thank you!
The articles you write help me a lot and I like the topic
Thanks for the help
An attention-grabbing discussion is price comment. I think that it is best to write extra on this subject, it might not be a taboo subject however generally persons are not enough to talk on such topics. To the next. Cheers
I am writing to let you understand of the terrific encounter our girl went through checking the blog. She discovered a lot of pieces, most notably what it is like to possess a marvelous coaching mindset to make men and women clearly comprehend specific hard to do subject areas. You really did more than our own expectations. Many thanks for producing the useful, healthy, informative and also cool guidance on the topic to Tanya.
You’ve been really helpful to me. Thank you!
Thank you for providing me with these article examples. May I ask you a question?
Dont put all your eggs in one basket.
Thank you for posting such a wonderful article. It helped me a lot and I appreciate the topic.
Thank you for sharing this article with me. It helped me a lot and I love it.
I do like the manner in which you have framed this challenge and it does indeed present me some fodder for consideration. Nevertheless, coming from what I have observed, I just simply wish as other remarks stack on that people remain on issue and don’t start upon a tirade involving some other news of the day. Anyway, thank you for this fantastic point and whilst I do not go along with it in totality, I value your perspective.
Thankyou for this practical advice on what is usually an overlooked topic. Mind if I share this with my people?