Chesterfield's remarkable trees
State project seeks nominations for upcoming book
By Susan Nienow CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Russ Lescault recently nominated the Nunnally Oak at the old county courthouse as one of the state's remarkable trees.

Some trees are not just trees. There's something special about them. Some have been silent witnesses to centuries of history while others' massive limbs have provided a shady spot to sit or an anchor for the occasional swing.

Now, a new book entitled, "Remarkable Trees of Virginia" will honor these unusual trees, and some of the nominees have roots right here in Chesterfield.

Compiled by Virginia Tech forestry professor and extension specialist Jeffrey Kirwan and outdoor author/lecturer Nancy Ross Hugo, the book is expected to be published in fall 2008 by University of Virginia Press and will feature photographs by Albemarle photographer Robert Llewellyn.

So far, more than 800 trees have been nominated for the book - including 14 in Chesterfield County - though different people may be nominating the same tree. One hundred will be featured in "Remarkable Trees of Virginia" along with the names of those who nominated them, explained Hugo.

Nominated trees are remarkable for their size, age, uniqueness, beauty, or historical and cultural significance. Some have an unusual shape or growth pattern while others have thrived outside their range or survived in a difficult location.

One nominee that many in Chesterfield recognize is the Nunnally Oak, planted next to the old courthouse as a sapling in 1814 by county employee Lawson Nunnally. County resident Russ Lescault nominated this favorite. In 1911, the tree measured 11 feet, 11 inches. Since 1916, the girth of this oak has been measured every 10 years by order of one of the county's circuit court judges. As of October 25, 2001, it measured 17 feet, 3 inches when measured at the level of five feet from the ground, up from 16 feet, 9 inches in 1991.

Several people have nominated the willow oak in The Boulders office park. In 1987, on the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution, the National Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture recognized this tree as living when the Constitution was signed. The tree has an impressive spreading, umbrella silhouette.

Another nominee is the grand old Southern Magnolia at Eppington, the historic home of Thomas Jefferson's brother-in-law, Francis Eppes VI. It was nominated by JoAnn Mollisee.

The only pecan tree nominated in the county is on Presquile Island, a wildlife refuge along the James River. It was planted on an old plantation there around 1900.

A yellow buckeye, located on an unidentified plantation in the county, was nominated because it's growing outside its normal range, which stretches from southwest Pennsylvania to northern Alabama and Georgia. Some believe it may have been originally planted from seed brought east.

The project

The goal of the Remarkable Tree Project is to increase awareness and appreciation of Virginia's trees. Kirwan and Hugo previously worked together on the Virginia Forests Champion Tree Program and expanded it to include trees that have significance in addition to size.

"We are asking children, adults, professional tree experts and amateur tree-lovers to nominate remarkable trees," said Hugo.

"The deadline for the Remarkable Tree Project is still open. 2008 is the 100th anniversary of Arbor Day in Virginia, something we did not know until we received a nomination for 12 sycamore trees planted in Hanover County in 1908," said Kirwan.

To nominate a tree or for further information, visit www.cnr.vt.edu/4h/remarkabletree/index.cfm.