Plant Care
PA Has New State Champion White Oak Following Toppling of Previous Record-Holder
| Oct 02, 2023
On September 19, 2023, Pennsylvania's state champion White Oak fell over. The tree, which Alex and I had the pleasure to visit last fall, stood front and center at the London Grove Friends Kindergarten in Kennett Square and was beloved by many.
The tree’s uniqueness was not due to its height, which at a mere 80’ is relatively short compared to many others in the area. Rather, it was the tree’s gargantuan, single-leader trunk, measuring 275” in circumference, as well as the tree's spectacular 120’ canopy spread that stopped both first-time visitors and long-time friends in awe.
.jpg)
The White Oak at London Grove Friends Kindergarten was a designated William Penn tree; it was alive in 1682 when our state’s founder arrived. The tree was over 341-years-old at the time it fell.
While many of us, both near and far, grieve the loss of the iconic tree, we are comforted by the knowledge that the tree’s acorns have been collected and propagated by the London Grove Friends community. The offspring of this mighty Oak may live on for centuries and who knows, maybe another State Champion was born!
We are also comforted to know that our new Pennsylvania State Champion White Oak is not far away; it is a mere forty minutes north of Kennett Square at the Thomas P. Bentley Nature Preserve in Glenmoore.
The new state champion Quercus Alba at the Thomas P. Bentley Nature Preserve in Glenmoore.
The new champion, affectionately called “Anna’s Oak” after Anna Nutt who built Warwick Furnace in 1743, is 92’ tall, 264” in circumference and has a 112’ canopy spread.
Unlike the Oak at the Friends Kindergarten, Anna’s Oak does not stand on its own. Our new state champion stands unassumingly in a grove of trees, competing alongside its neighbors for sunlight and room to grow. Although it does not have the same single-trunk structure and great branch formation - the result of decades of meticulously pruning for the London Grove tree - the new state champion is an endearing, quirky tree none-the-less. And as it is located in a beautiful nature preserve, it makes a great stopping point during a long walk.
The toppling of the White Oak at London Grove Friends Kindergarten is a poignant reminder that our time among the William Penn trees is fleeting. Many are nearing the end of their lifespans. Visit www.pabigtrees.com and www.monumentaltrees.com/pennsylvania to locate the biggest trees in our area and pay them a visit this fall!