National Champion Willow Oak removed

By Will Russell

The nation’s largest willow oak tree began its removal process Friday in Eastville.

If only this tree could talk. It likely witnessed the Shore’s men of military age mobilize for the American War for Independence. It certainly stood through the Union invasion and occupation of the Eastern Shore during the Civil War, the shift from wind powered boats and horseback to automobile travel, the laying and removal of the Shore’s train tracks, and the tenures of both of the Eastern Shore’s governors of the Commonealth. The book Remarkable Trees of Virginia even speculated it may have been growing as early as 1677, when the Northampton Courthouse was officially moved to Eastville.

“We really don’t know how old the tree is—it’s never been cored,” said Robbie Lewis, the Eastern Shore’s area forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry.

But the old giant, the last of its kind on the road that bears its name, had become a hazard.

It was struck by lightning 40 years ago in a freak February thunderstorm, said Ralph Dodd, who owns the land where it stands with his wife Lit.

“Lightning strikes certainly don’t help them,” said Dodd.

Though Remarkable Trees authors wrote it “seemed overall healthy” in 2008, the tree dropped a massive limb in March 2019, revealing extensive inner rot.

More limbs followed over the last few years, including the one that held the Dodds’ Christmas tree swing, nearly as famous as the tree itself. The writing was on the wall.

Several experts examined the tree in recent months. All agreed it was only a matter of time.

“Once this begins to happen, there’s really not much you can do,” said Lewis. “The main thing is safety. As good as these old trees are, the safety of property and, more importantly, people takes precedence. There could be no worse tragedy than a limb falling and killing someone.”

So on Friday, the Dodds reluctantly acted. Crews removed most of the limbs to prevent any widow-makers, though the massive trunk will remain for now.

The willow oak was first submitted for champion status by Jack Wilkins in 2000, and Dodd recalled being surprised when he learned it had been certified as the largest willow oak in the nation.

“Jack is the one who got behind this, but he was kind enough to name us as co-sponsors,” he said. “Then Virginia Tech started coming by just to check to see if it appeared to be in good shape.”

It was originally tied with another large willow oak in Suffolk, but that tree was in decline, leaving the Eastville tree alone at the top.

Those annual inspections kept its title intact until recent years, when the steady loss of limbs undermined its stature. In 2023, the trunk measured 8.46 meters (27.75 feet) in circumference and the tree rose 32.3 meters (105.97 feet) tall. Remarkable Trees had earlier recorded its girth at 25 feet and height at 112 feet.

Unlike many oaks, willow oaks grow quickly, with large, towering limbs, which can easily be confused with an entire tree when they fall. The trunks of giants aren’t round, but grow long vertical ridges, which almost resemble organ pipes under gray bark. Those ridges flow downward into a distinctive base that looks like fingers splaying into and grabbing a handful of earth. But arborists and nurserymen consistently warn potential buyers that, you guessed it, their size can become an issue.

“It’s one thing to find a giant tree in a national park or remote habitat; it’s another to find one, like this champion willow oak, in a front yard,” wrote the authors of Remarkable Trees of Virginia.

Unfortunately, depending on the extent of the rot, the tree may not be able to be accurately dated.

“Enjoy these nice trees while you can,” said Lewis. “Nothing lasts forever.”