BUCHANAN, Va. (WFXR) – “Trees are the poems the Earth writes upon the sky.” In Botetourt County, one particular tree stands closer to the sky than many of its peers.
On the historic grounds of Wilson Warehouse in Buchanan built in 1838, is a “hidden treasure” on the property. Considered a “sleeping giant,” it has recently been designated the state’s champion by the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech.
(Photo Credit: www.buchanan-va.gov)
“They sent a team here,” said Steve Davis with the Buchanan Town Improvement Society. “They measured it. They determined that it was 17 feet 4 inches in circumference and that it was 125 years old, 81 feet high, the canopy was 81 feet wide.”
“While they were here, everybody turned their attention to this massive tree and then we began to think, you know, we may have something special here,” said Davis.
Steve Grigg, Town Improvement Society president, a Virginia Tech Horticulture graduate, a former Virginia Society of Landscape Designers member, and a licensed tree expert, realized the Warehouse had something special on its property.
“There are not too many English elm trees that are this big or this old,” said Davis. “Many elm trees had succumbed to the Dutch elm disease that kind of wiped out virtually all elm trees in the United States.”
Grigg’s then reached out to Virginia Tech to verify what the tree was.
Something special indeed. The university determined it was the largest English elm tree in the commonwealth. Virginia Tech’s Dr. Eric Wiseman and intern Tiffany Harris, the Buchanan Town Improvement Society, owner of the Warehouse worked on this and received the designation.
Experts say the elm tree is in perfect health and free of Dutch Elm Disease, therefore The Town Improvement Society is working hard to protect and ensure its future.
“The tree is just kind of like the feather in the cap [of the property],” said Davis. “Anybody can walk behind the building at any time and have a look.”
The Buchanan Town Improvement Society looks to secure grants to help maintain the tree and also accepts donations. You can find them on Facebook or at wilsonwarehouse.org.