Mathews residents Greg and Belinda Sandor are working to protect and preserve a large swamp chestnut oak tree that’s located on their property in Onemo. To that end, they recently brought in master arborists to assess the tree and tree climbers to give it a needed trim.
Estimated to be 140 years old, the magnificent tree stands 96 feet tall, with a canopy stretching 123 feet wide and a circumference of 245 inches, said Belinda Sandor in an email exchange. It’s listed on the Virginia Tech Big Tree Registry as the fourth largest swamp chestnut oak in Virginia.
Arborists Jason and Anna Anderson fed the tree and recommended that it be pruned to remove dead wood in order to promote long-term health, said Sandor, so the couple turned to James Earhart, a national and international tree-climbing champion. Along with two fellow climbers, Earhart climbed up among the massive branches, moving with precision to provide the care the tree needed.
“It was incredible to watch,” said Sandor. “Most peop...