
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 24, 1994                   TAG: 9405240063
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BEDFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

BEDFORD'S 'ELDER STATESMAN' FACES AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Virginia's largest tree is infested with a stem decay that is rotting its insides and could cause its demise at any time, Bedford's area forester said.

``It's on its way downhill,'' Robert C. Kennedy said with a hint of reverence in his voice as he eyed the yellow poplar.

The tree is believed to be 200 to 300 years old. It also is believed to be the oldest tree of its species in the nation.

Kennedy said a big storm could blow the rotting champion over tomorrow. Then again, it could live several more decades.

``I would not be surprised if it outlasted me,'' said Kennedy, 49.

The tree stands in a half-acre sanctuary called Poplar Park on the south side of town. It is on Bedford's map of tourist attractions.

The Virginia Forestry Association, a conservation group, determines the oldest trees in the state using a point system for height, girth and crown spread.

The Bedford tree is 146 feet tall. Its crown spread is 125 feet. Its base is about 10 feet thick, 31 feet around.

``It's the elder statesman, or granddaddy of them all,'' said Charlie Finley, executive vice president of the forestry association.

The tree has four trunks that grow from a common base - apparently the result of an injury to its main trunk decades ago. Protected from the wind in a low hollow and nourished by a nearby creek, the tree is perfectly situated to withstand the ravages of weather and age.

But its mortality became apparent in 1986, when a storm ripped off one of its trunks. The injury left a four-foot hole in its side and revealed its hollow interior. The gaping wound will accelerate the tree's decline, Kennedy said.

``It's an entry point for insects and decay diseases,'' he said.

Woodpeckers have carved holes the size of softballs into the hollow trunks to make nests.

If a big wind topples Bedford's yellow poplar or breaks off a significant piece of its top, the new state champion will be a 134-foot-tall baldcypress tree in a Southampton County swamp.

That tree, unlike the yellow poplar, would not be visited by many sightseers. It is accessible only by canoe or on foot and is guarded by snakes and mosquitoes.

by CNB