Loblolly Champion Tree in TX

[EddieWalker]

My wife is in the Master Gardener program here in Tyler Texas that's run by A& M. While discussing native trees, she showed them a picture of our biggest tree. A Loblolly. The instructor was amazed, and told us to measure it because he thinks it's bigger then the current Champion Loblolly. Since we had never heard of Champion Trees, or that there where people who kept track of them, we where kind of shocked.

Texas Big Tree Registry

This is the website with all the information on the Champion Trees in Texas. The current number one Champion Loblolly has a trunk circumference of 165 inches. Our tree measures 205 inches around the trunk. There are three measurements and this is where it gets a little tricky. They also want the height and width of the canopy. We followed the instructions the best we could, looked on Youtube for videos on measuring trees, and came up with a height of 127 feet. The Champion Loblolly in Texas is 139 feet tall and the National Champion is 167 feet tall. And a canopy measurement of 83 feet by 78 feet for a score of 80. The three numbers are added together 205+127+80+412.

The current Texas Champion Loblolly has a score of 324 and it's in Sabine County near Lufkin.

The current National Champion Loblolly has a score of 361 and it's in the Congaree National Park in South Carolina.

It's kind of shocking to think that our tree could be so much bigger then the current State and National Trees, which makes us think we're doing something wrong. We've filled out the form this weekend and we're mailing it off tomorrow morning. Then it's a waiting game to see what A&M does.

Our Loblolly

 

[BigGG]

That's some tree! A friend's brother has the Tenn champion bald cypress on land their grandfather bought on the Hatchie River.

 

[Rockbadchild]

My wife is in the Master Gardener program here in Tyler Texas that's run by A& M. While discussing native trees, she showed them a picture of our biggest tree. A Loblolly. The instructor was amazed, and told us to measure it because he thinks it's bigger then the current Champion Loblolly. Since we had never heard of Champion Trees, or that there where people who kept track of them, we where kind of shocked.

Texas Big Tree Registry

This is the website with all the information on the Champion Trees in Texas. The current number one Champion Loblolly has a trunk circumference of 165 inches. Our tree measures 205 inches around the trunk. There are three measurements and this is where it gets a little tricky. They also want the height and width of the canopy. We followed the instructions the best we could, looked on Youtube for videos on measuring trees, and came up with a height of 127 feet. The Champion Loblolly in Texas is 139 feet tall and the National Champion is 167 feet tall. And a canopy measurement of 83 feet by 78 feet for a score of 80. The three numbers are added together 205+127+80+412.

The current Texas Champion Loblolly has a score of 324 and it's in Sabine County near Lufkin.

The current National Champion Loblolly has a score of 361 and it's in the Congaree National Park in South Carolina.

It's kind of shocking to think that our tree could be so much bigger then the current State and National Trees, which makes us think we're doing something wrong. We've filled out the form this weekend and we're mailing it off tomorrow morning. Then it's a waiting game to see what A&M does.

Our Loblolly

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What do you mean by that ??

''It's kind of shocking to think that our tree could be so much bigger then the current State and National Trees, which makes us think we're doing something wrong.''

 

[Rockbadchild]

very cool.. very good looking tree ...

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Such a cool looking tree! I would clean all of those little trees out from the base of it so one can get a true sense of its grandeur!!

 

[ponytug]

Congratulations! That's some tree, regardless. I hope that it works out.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Lineman North Florida]

It certainly is an unusual looking pine tree, but they claim everything is bigger in Texas, I hope that your tree turns out to be the champion.

 

[EddieWalker]

What do you mean by that ??

''It's kind of shocking to think that our tree could be so much bigger then the current State and National Trees, which makes us think we're doing something wrong.''

I'm struggling with the thought that a tree growing on my land could be so much bigger then every other Loblolly Pine in the country. Even more, is that it's significantly bigger. It makes me think that I'm missing something, or doing something wrong.

 

[Torvy]

I was wondering of it is considered one tree or if it is two that grew together.

None of my loblolly are even close to that. The property west of us has a big double tree. Now I'm curious about how this turns out.

Good luck!

 

[Rockbadchild]

I'm struggling with the thought that a tree growing on my land could be so much bigger then every other Loblolly Pine in the country. Even more, is that it's significantly bigger. It makes me think that I'm missing something, or doing something wrong.

you mean doing something right ? lol that’s the part i don’t understand why something wrong? … but really your tree is two tree fuse together, that’s why the truck is so bing … to me it is simply older then the other one … but i agree it is odd that the biggest loblolly pine grow in Texas, i would expect a place with more rain … it would be interesting to do a core sample to determine its age …

 

[Torvy]

you mean doing something right ? lol that’s the part i don’t understand why something wrong? … but really your tree is two tree fuse together, that’s why the truck is so bing … to me it is simply older then the other one … but i agree it is odd that the biggest loblolly pine grow in Texas, i would expect a place with more rain … it would be interesting to do a core sample to determine its age …

East Texas gets lots of rain. 10" more than in DFW annually.

 

[Rockbadchild]

East Texas gets lots of rain. 10" more than in DFW annually.

ho I didn’t know that, thanks … makes sense then

 

[/pine]

I was wondering of it is considered one tree or if it is two that grew together.

None of my loblolly are even close to that. The property west of us has a big double tree. Now I'm curious about how this turns out.

Good luck!

FWIW...
We got a Southern Live Oak on the local and FL state registry (no champion just big) Circumference was required to be measured at 6' IIRC...

 

[EddieWalker]

We've looked really close and it doesn't look like two trees growing together. I guess it could be, but there isn't anything around the truck to make me think that.

 

[Rockbadchild]

We've looked really close and it doesn't look like two trees growing together. I guess it could be, but there isn't anything around the truck to make me think that.

You are right I should said it has a very early tree fork on it

 

[jyoutz]

I'm struggling with the thought that a tree growing on my land could be so much bigger then every other Loblolly Pine in the country. Even more, is that it's significantly bigger. It makes me think that I'm missing something, or doing something wrong.

There are state big tree registries and national registries, so you have a chance at the state champion if you don’t make the national. Contact a forester to have your tree measured with a clinometer or relaskop to get an accurate height.

 

[Wagtail]

A 'fingers crossed', 'touch wood', congratulations Eddie!

 

[civilian]

Loggers will take a straight stick and hold it with one end at their nose, and the other end in their outstretched hand parallel to the ground. Tip the nose end up vertical and look up across the tip at the top of the tree. You will have to walk forward or back while sigting up to the tree height. When it matches/lines up with your stick, your distance from the trunk is the approximate tree height. This is based on equal legs of a 45, 45, 90 degrees triangle. My nephew uses that method when dropping trees for our home site. Jon.

 

[jyoutz]

Loggers will take a straight stick and hold it with one end at their nose, and the other end in their outstretched hand parallel to the ground. Tip the nose end up vertical and look up across the tip at the top of the tree. You will have to walk forward or back while sigting up to the tree height. When it matches/lines up with your stick, your distance from the trunk is the approximate tree height. This is based on equal legs of a 45, 45, 90 degrees triangle. My nephew uses that method when dropping trees for our home site. Jon.

That’s ok for estimating, but the big tree registry will come and accurately measure to the nearest foot before naming a new champion. They will use one of the instruments that I suggested in my previous post. The same for diameter (circumference). It has to be measured at exactly 4.5’ (breast height) above the high point of the ground at the butt.

 

[EddieWalker]

Loggers will take a straight stick and hold it with one end at their nose, and the other end in their outstretched hand parallel to the ground. Tip the nose end up vertical and look up across the tip at the top of the tree. You will have to walk forward or back while sigting up to the tree height. When it matches/lines up with your stick, your distance from the trunk is the approximate tree height. This is based on equal legs of a 45, 45, 90 degrees triangle. My nephew uses that method when dropping trees for our home site. Jon.

That is the method that I used. I'm probably within a few feet of being accurate. I wasn't able to figure out how to compensate for the slight uphill slope. Just guessing, I'm probably standing 4 to 6 feet higher then the base of the tree when I was 127 feet away from it. It's not much, so I don't think it should change my distance too much.