Big tree found near farm may be among Pennsylvania’s largest

PITTSBURGH – A forester in Pennsylvania says he’s discovered a massive red oak tree that may be one of the state’s biggest trees.

Pennsylvania Forest Management’s Tom McQuaide is in the process of submitting the tree’s measurements for inclusion in the Champion Trees of Pennsylvania, a registry of the state’s largest trees.

McQuaide says the red oak has a circumference of about 26 feet (8 metres) and a height of about 120 feet (37 metres). Officials say the tree could be 400 years old.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports it was discovered near a Bell Township farm outside of Pittsburgh.

The largest recorded red oak in the state is in Delaware County and is 145 feet (44 metres) tall.

McQuaide says he and the property owner agreed to let the tree continue standing as a monument.

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Information from: Tribune-Review, http://triblive.com