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Campus Trees - In the News!The white basswood (Tilia americana var. heterophylla) at the north end of Jefferson Hall at Radford University has been recognized as the largest tree in the country by the Register of American Forests Champion Trees.
In 2008, Biology instructor John Kell nominated this tree as a Virginia state champion, through the Virginia Big Tree Register. Ten years later, in 2018, the white basswood was declared a national champion. Each champion tree is awarded points based on its height, trunk size, and leaf canopy spread. The white basswood on Radford University's campus is 90 feet tall, 15 1/2 feet in circumference, and has an average crown spread of 81 feet. This gives the champion a total of 296 points (exceeding the previous champion by more than 30 points!). |