Champion Trees in the British Isles
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Forestry Commission ARCHIVE FORESTRY COMMISSION FIELD BOOK 10 Champion Trees in the British Isles A.F. Mitchell, V. E. Hallett The Tree Register of the British Isles and J. E. J. White Dendrologist, Forestry Commission LONDON: HMSO Crown copyright 1990 First published 1985 as Research and Development Paper 138 Third Edition 1990 ISBN 0 11 710286 5 ODC 522.2 : (410) Keywords: Broadleaves, Conifers, Mensuration Enquiries relating to this publication should be addressed to: the Technical Publications Officer, Forestry Commission, Forest Research Station, Alice Holt Lodge, Wrecclesham, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4LH Front Cover: Grand fir Abies grandis, at 63 m the tallest tree in Britain. Immediately fronted by specimens ofAbies alba (44 m) and Thuja plicata (40 m). Strone House, Strathclyde. (A. F. Mitchell) Champion Trees in the British Isles A. F. Mitchell1, V. E. Hallett and J. E. J. White2 Measurements Dimensions are metric; the height in metres, the diameter in centimetres. Diameter is derived from the measurement of girth, as this is the single parameter which sums the infinite number of diameters in an irregular cross-section. One inch of girth is 0.8085 cm diameter and one foot is 9.7 cm diameter. Those who visualise in imperial measure of girth can convert cm/diam. into ft and ins/girth very simply. The figures change little: 36 cm diam. = 3 ft 8 in girth; 44 cm diam. = 4 ft 6 in girth; 73 cm diam. = 7 ft 6 in girth; and 92 cm diam. = 9 ft 6 in. That is, turn the two figures into feet plus inches and add two (inches) when below 50 cm, add 3 in from 50 to 80 and 4 from 80 to 100. Above 100 add 5 (124 cm diam. = 12 ft 9 in girth); above 200 add 8. Entries Listing is alphabetical by genus and species; space does not permit the inclusion of common names. Where a species is represented in the list by only one specimen, this is both the tallest and the stoutest. The majority of species are represented by two trees. The first is the tallest and the second is the stoutest. This second tree may not be very tall; it is NOT the second tallest. (Every preceding list published has given rise to claims that trees taller than the second entry should have been cited instead, thereby misunderstanding the basis of the list, despite it being clearly stated.) Several species have three, and a few, four entries. In these cases, in the height rating, there is more than one specimen of the top height quoted. In diameter rating it is where much the biggest cannot be measured at the standard 1.5 m (5 ft) and the biggest that can be so measured is added for comparison, and because it is usually a finer specimen. Heights have been rounded down to the nearest whole metre. 2 Scope o f the list Species have been included down to a considerable degree of rarity and only the very rarest, which have too few known specimens to compete effectively as tallest and stoutest are excluded; but where one specimen is clearly of outstanding size it is included even where very few are known. The more important cultivars are included. The total numbers listed are 548 species (188 conifers and 360 broadleaves) with 169 cultivars and varieties. The total number of entries is 1169. The 1987 storm in south-east England After two successful previous editions (R&D Paper 138; 1985 and 1987) the gale of October 1987 made this revision a necessity. A disproportionate number of champions of rare species, particularly of broadleaves, were in the Sussex and Kent gardens that suffered the worst losses. So far it has been checked that 80 champions were blown down or terminally damaged but some 40 more yet to be seen were in the same region. They have, therefore, also been replaced in this list by the next biggest from the unaffected regions. The third edition Normal factors of death, growth and discovery of new champions has had a great effect on numbers, if not quality, and 435 changes result from these. The opportunity has been taken to give more precedence to diameters measurable at the standard 1.5 m and less to those at 1 m or below, and to omit many more entries relating to pre-1980 as well as to include for the first time 52 species and 34 cultivars. There are thus some 606 new specimens and 139 updated figures. 3 *■ Alan Mitchell, an internationally acclaimed dendrologist, retired from Forestry Commission service on 31st December 1984 after a distinguished career of 32 years at the Forest Research Station, Alice Holt Lodge. He continues to be active as a consultant and, together with Victoria Hallett, is maintaining his records of tree measurements. In 1989 their register of 84 000 specimens of 1670 species and varieties was made a Registered Charity. Inquiries should be addressed to The Tree Register of the British Isles, 'Capers’, Portland Road, Burgess Hill, Sussex, RH15 9RL. 2 John White is the Forestry Commission’s Dendrologist based at Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QS. BG = Botanic Gardens RBG = Royal Botanic Garden RHS = Royal Horticultural Society * = tree forked at base var. = variety f. = forma nv. = nothovar ssp. = subspecies 4 Broadleaves A cer acum inatum 16 x 33 1985 Edinburgh RBG, Lothian A. argutum 11 x 38 1984 Hollycombe, Surrey A. buergerianum 16 x 57 1983 Norham End, Oxford A. campbellii 17 x 32 1984 Caerhays, Cornwall A. campestre 27 x 81 1986 Kinnettles Castle, Angus 21 x 134 1990 Chilston Park, Kent A. capillipes 16 x 39 1989 Castle Drogo, Devon A. cappadocicum 26 x 68 1985 Munches, Dumfries & Galloway 16 x 94 1988 St Pierre Hotel, Gwent 20 x 95 1989 Westonbirt House, Glos A. cappadocicum 'Aureum' 18 x 29 1984 Paignton Zoo, Devon 16 x 73 1989 Sidney Park, Bath, Avon A. carpinifoiium 12 x 21 1988 Wakehurst Place, Sussex 12 x 37 1989 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. circinatum 11 x 32 1981 Edinburgh RBG, Lothian 7 x 34 1985 Hergest Croft, Hereford & Worcs A. cissifolium 11 x 41 1987 Trewithen, Cornwall 7 x 43 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. x coriaceum 16 x 43 1988 Pampisford, Cambs 15 x 60 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. davidii 19 x 44 1988 Winkworth Arboretum, Surrey 14 x 49 1985 Trewithen, Cornwall A. diaboiicum 15 x 36 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos 10 x 38 1985 Syon Park, London A. distylum 14 x 27 1982 Grayswood Hill, Surrey A. forrestii 15 x 58 1984 Caerhays Castle, Cornwall (at 1 m) 14 x 66 1984 Caerhays Castle, Cornwall A. ginnala 11 x 37 1986 Kippenross, Tayside A. griseum 15 x 40 1989 Newby Hall, Yorks 11 x 62 1988 Dyffryn, S. Glam A. heidreichii 23 x 86 1985 Hergest Croft, Hereford & Worcs A. hersii 17 x 36 1981 Wayford Woods, Somerset A. hyrcanum 19 x 64 1984 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. leucoderme 21 x 43 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. lo b e lii 30 x 120 1989 Eastnor Castle, Hereford & Worcs A. macrophyllum 27 x 107 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. maximowiczii 15 x 32 1984 Caerhays Castle, Cornwall A. m ono 25 x 75 1985 Hergest Croft, Hereford & Worcs A. monspessulanum 15 x 78 1990 Birr Castle, Co. Offaly 13 x 92 1989 Gladstone Park, London A. negundo 18 x 44 1984 Peckover House, Cambs BROADLEAVES 5 10 x 73 1981 Rood Aston, Wilts A. nikoense 19 x 47 1989 Sheffield Park, Sussex 16 x 47 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. opalus 27 x 70 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos 19 x 91 1986 Smeaton House, Lothian A. pa/matum 17 x 40 1984 Muncaster Castle, Cumbria 12 x 63 1986 Megginch Castle, Tayside A. pensylvanicum 14 x 22 1981 Crarae, Strathclyde 14 x 35 1989 Bath BG, Avon A. platanoides 32 x 106 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos 26 x 116 1983 Castle Fraser, Grampian A. platanoides 'Cucullatum' 31 x 83 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. platanoides 'Laciniatum' 14 x 60 1987 Wray Castle, Cumbria A. platanoides 'Schwedleri' 31 x 88 1989 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos 27 x 128 1984 Gliffaes House, Powys (at 1 m) A. pseudopiatanus 40 x 115 1985 Lennoxlove, Lothian 32 x 232 1990 Birnam, Tayside A. pseudopiat. 'Corstorphinense' 26 x 140 1982 Moncrieffe House, Tayside 19 x 145 1990 Corstorphine, Lothian A. pseudopiatanus f. variegatum34 x 142 1986 Dalguise House, Tayside A. rubrum 24 x 50 1980 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos 18 x 105 1982 Bagshot Park, Surrey A. rufinerve 14 x 22 1987 Crarae, Strathclyde 9 x 33 1982 Branklyn Garden, Tayside A. rufinerve f. albolimbatum 111 x 30 1981 Bodnant, Gwynedd A. saccharinum 31 x 90 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos 29 x 128 1989 Kew RBG, Surrey A. saccharum 26 x 51 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos 21 x 86 1989 Eastnor Castle, Hereford 8t Worcs A. sempervirens 8 x 55 1989 Tregothnan, Cornwall 7 x 37 1988 Reading University, Berks A. stercuiiaceum 18x46 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. tetramerum 14 x 31 1982 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos (at 1 m) 11 x33 1983 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. trautvetteri 21 x 61 1985 Edinburgh RBG, Lothian A. trifiorum 15x24 1988 Exbury, Hants 10x26 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos A. truncatum 16 x 50 1989 Birr Castle, Co. Offaly A. velutinum var. vanvolxemii 29 x9 0 1988 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos 20 x9 0 1985 Edinburgh RBG, Lothian A. x zoeschense 24 x 66 1985 Abbeyleix, Co. Laois 22x71 1987 Kew RBG, Surrey Aesculus caiifomica 14x44 1987 Ashbourne House, Co. Cork A. x camea 26 x8 3 1982 Westonbirt Arboretum, Glos 19x87 1983 Townhill Park, Hants 6 A.