A Visual Story of Illinois' New Champion Carolina Silverbell

Located on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus

Background

On a cool, overcast day on April 23, 2021, the  Campus Tree Advisory Committee  along with students and staff at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign convened at the back of the University of Illinois System president's house to document and measure one of the state's newest champion trees -- an impressive  Carolina silverbell  (Halesia carolina L.).

University of Illinois System president, Dr. Timothy Killeen, was also gracious enough to observe and interact with our students and Campus Tree Advisory Committee members that day -- thank you Dr. Killeen!!!

Carolina silverbell, a member of the "Styracaceae" plant family, is technically a state-listed endangered species due to the fact that it's at its most northwestern native distribution in Illinois and endemic to only two known locations in extreme southern Illinois.

Carolina silverbell makes for a beautiful ornamental specimen and is definitely a species that grows well in east-central Illinois. It is generally a small to medium size tree with beautiful bell-shaped white flowers that emerge in the spring; unique four-winged drupes (fruit); finely-serrate, simple leaves; and it provides excellent pollinator benefits.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Campus Tree Advisory Committee members, students, volunteers, and University of Illinois System president, Dr. Timothy Killeen, posing with the new Illinois state champion Carolina Silverbell (Halesia carolina) on the Urbana-Champaign campus (Photo credits: Mr. Travis Tate).

Official Carolina Silverbell Measurements

Circumference: 5.57 feet; 66.84 inches [largest of the two stems]

  • Diameter: 21.3 inches [largest of the two stems]

Total Height: 60 feet [verified by drone and laser rangefinder/clinometer measurements]

Average Crown Spread: 54.8 feet

Total Big Tree Score: 140.5 points [66.84 + 60 + 0.25(54.8) = 140.5]

GPS Coordinates: 40.097447°, -88.215526°

Nickname: The President's Silverbell

The official "Big Tree" measurement process of taking circumference, average crown spread, and vertical height measurements (Photo credits: Mr. Travis Tate).

Fun and Educational Too

One of the objectives of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Campus Tree Advisory Committee is to engage the campus community and our students, and to provide opportunities for them to become more involved and of course learn some neat things too! Jay Hayek, who teaches NRES 302 Dendrology on campus and also manages the Illinois Big Tree Register, took this opportunity to teach several of our students the art and science behind measuring Big Trees.

Learning the art and science of taking "Big Tree" height measurements utilizing a clinometer, laser rangefinder, and basic right-angle trigonometric functions (Photo credits: Mr. Travis Tate).

Acknowledgements

The Campus Tree Advisory Committee wishes to personally thank Dr. Matt Candeias, Dept. of NRES PhD graduate and Curator of Living Collections at the Huntsville Botanical Garden, for his incredible drone footage and Mr. Travis Tate, F&S Media Communications Coordinator, for his wonderful photography.

University of Illinois Extension

Jay C. Hayek, Extension Forestry Specialist

College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES)

Extension Forestry https://illinois.extension.edu/forestry

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences (NRES)