1. The largest tree on campus, a Quercus alba, white oak, has a trunk that splits into two about two meters from the ground, and for this reason, the shape of the cross-section of the trunk at breast height is not circular but elliptic. The circumference of the tree at breast height is 480 cm, or almost 5 meters, which indicates it would take three people spreading their arms to go around that tree. The long axis diameter of the cross-section of the trunk at breast height is 166 cm, and the short axis diameter is 130 cm. The DBH indicated as 153 cm is the ideal DBH, assuming a circular trunk. In fact, it falls close to the average of the long and short axis of the actual trunk. In any event, there is no contestant for the first place in the largest tree competition. Here is a short pictorial presentation of the king of the trees on the University of Richmond campus: (to see the images in original size, right click on them and select View Image (Netscape), or download it and view it in any image editing application (Internet Explorer).
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