Three of county’s largest trees are in Greater Shenandoah
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - The second tallest tree in Schuylkill County is pictured near South Bower Street and Abbatoir Road in Shenandoah on Feb. 7, 2023.
SHENANDOAH – Three of Schuylkill County’s largest and oldest trees are in the Greater Shenandoah Area, and they predate any settlement in Pennsylvania’s Shenandoah Valley.
Measured through Schuylkill County Conservancy’s Big Trees of Schuylkill County project, two trees in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Shenandoah Heights and one in the borough itself, along the banks of the Shenandoah Creek, made the top ten of about 60 trees measured so far.
According to Schuylkill County Conservancy, 70 percent of the county is covered in trees and forests.
For each tree, three measurements are taken: circumference in inches; height in feet; and canopy spread in feet. The points are determined as follows: one point for each inch of trunk circumference plus one point for every foot of tree height plus one point for every 4 feet of canopy spread equals the total points.
The third-highest point getter and the second tallest tree measured is an Eastern Cottonwood, along the banks of the Shenandoah Creek near Bower Street and Abbatoir Road, where the former “Kiddie Park” was located.
That tree received 304 points and stands at 117 feet tall.
The fifth-highest point getter in the county is a Northern Red Oak at the entrance to Odd Fellows Cemetery. Standing at 74-feet tall, the tree earned 291.25 points. It is the largest known Red Oak in the county and is estimated to be 249 years old.
Inside the cemetery is the largest known American Beech tree in Schuylkill County standing at 68-feet tall and earning 287 points, placing eighth in the county. The tree is estimated to be 380 years old.
To put those ages into perspective, the United States became a nation in 1776 — 247 years ago — Schuylkill County was incorporated in 1811 — 212 years ago — Peter Kehley first settled the Shenandoah Valley around 1830 — 193 years ago — and Shenandoah was incorporated in 1866, 157 years ago.
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