Nation's Largest Black Walnut Tree "National Champion"
Tucked away between the Columbia River, Multnomah Channel, and Willamette River just minutes away from Portland, OR sits Sauvie Island, a serene stretch of land dotted with trees where the hum of the city fades and the wind cascades in quiet rhythm through the leaves. Spanning nearly 26,000 acres, Sauvie Island is one of the largest river islands in the United States and is known for its storied past, thriving wildlife, and rich, nurturing soil. The island is home to many trees, but one in particular stood as a staple on Sauvie Island. Towering over 100 feet high with a trunk circumference of 27 feet, and a crown wide enough to span several city blocks, this black walnut tree was celebrated as the “national champion” and cited as the largest recorded tree of its kind. Despite being tall, sturdy, and resilient, time and circumstance eventually took their toll. In the late 2010s, the walnut tree began showing signs of decline. By 2019, it was clear that the tree was battling Thousand Cankers Disease, a devastating condition that blocks nutrients from traveling through the tree’s vascular system leading to thinning leaves, weakened limbs, and its once-powerful canopy growing frail.
It was more than a tree. It was a landmark, a neighbor, a living memory. For those who loved it, watching the tree falter was heartbreaking.
The Oregon black walnut tree known as the “Sauvie Island Tree,” by volume has been measured as the largest walnut tree in the United States. Sauvie Island was originally populated by the Multnomah people. The population declined in the early 1800’s due to epidemic outbreaks and was nearly gone by the 1830s. The Hudson Bay Company ended land claims by 1846. By the 1840s, few native Multnomah peoples remained on the island as the emigrants arrived. The Morgan family, led by Edward Morgan with his second wife, Mary, took possession of the Morgan homestead on February 28th, 1849 through the Donation Land Claim after spending a few months on Sauvie Island’s Oak Island. The property became known as Morgan’s Landing Farm. Edward Morgan sold the farm to his two sons in 1864. Through conversations with Edwards' great grand-daughter revealed that the tree was present before the farm.
The decision no one wanted became unavoidable: the champion would have to come down.
Bringing the Giant Down
Felling a tree of this size was no simple task. Its trunk alone could swallow three grown adults standing arm to arm, and a massive canopy that stretched across the skyline. In August 2020, after careful planning and with the help of specialized equipment, the Sauvie Island walnut tree was finally felled. The sound of chainsaws and cracking limbs was sobering, but also deeply humbling. For over 150 years, this tree had stood rooted in one place. And now, for the first time since the 1800s, it lay across the ground. Each scattered piece held a memory, a story etched in its rings and grain. Every limb and leaf had once contributed to a living legacy—a legacy that cannot be replicated, now gone, but not forgotten.
The Next Chapter
The work was far from over.
The family wanted to make sure this wasn’t just the end of the tree — but the beginning of a new chapter. They reached out to us at Goby Walnut, hoping we could help transform the tree into materials that would allow its story to continue for generations.
We knew right away that this was not an ordinary milling project. This was a responsibility.
The tree was milled into a series of slabs and lumber in varying thicknesses, each one holding the distinct grain, color, and character of the walnut tree. Because of its size, milling was only the beginning. Walnut is a hardwood that demands patience, and a tree this large requires 3-4 years of careful drying before it can be responsibly worked into its next life. Our team set aside three full summers for air drying, followed by 3 months of kiln drying, ensuring the wood would be flat, tension free, and stable for building.
Every step of the way, we were conscious of the weight of this responsibility. Each board wasn’t just wood — it was history. It had witnessed lifetimes.
From Tree to Table
After a long wait and years of anticipation, the arduous process was finally complete and ready to be seen again, now in new form. Goby partnered with The Joinery, one of Portland’s most respected furniture makers, to design and craft pieces that would honor their tree’s legacy. Together, they chose specific boards for a Jost Extension Dining Table and a set of Banjo Chairs. These weren’t just pieces of furniture — they were heirlooms, built from the very tree that had watched over their family for generations.
The finished collection was breathtaking. Wide, dark walnut boards formed the tabletop, their swirling grain telling the story of years of growth and endurance. Each chair, meticulously shaped by hand, carried with it the strength and beauty of the tree’s history.
For the family, this was more than a dining set. It meant their family could continue to gather around the same tree, and one that would last for generations to come.
Sustainability and Stories
At Goby Walnut, we see our work as more than just processing lumber. Each tree has a story, and when one comes to us, especially one as significant as this, our role is to ensure that story continues.
Woodworking is about legacy. A tree grows for decades or centuries before we ever touch it. When it comes to us, our job is not just to cut and mill, but to respect, preserve, and give it a second life that can outlast us.
The Sauvie Island tree reminds us why we do this work. It stood for nearly 150 years, enduring storms, droughts, and the changing landscape of the Columbia River. Even in death, it provides. Its wood will live on in furniture, art, and projects that will be cherished far into the future.
Working with reclaimed and responsibly harvested wood isn’t just part of what we do, it is everything we do in an effort to close the sustainability loop. Though salvaging dead and dying materials is nothing new, we take an extra step by growing seedlings and replanting 5 trees for every tree that we mill. The promise is that nothing is wasted and everything has meaning.
A Legacy for Woodworkers Everywhere
While part of the tree was reserved for the owners of the property where the tree once stood, much of the tree lives on in the form of slabs and boards available to woodworkers, builders, and creators. This means that countless craftspeople now have the chance to carry a piece of this extraordinary tree into their own projects.
Imagine a dining table that holds the same grain as a 150-year-old champion tree where future families will share meals and stories — all tied back to this living monument.
Each project made from this walnut becomes part of its story. And each person who works with it helps ensure that its memory does not fade.
Significance
There are thousands of walnut trees across Oregon, but this one was different. Its size, age, and history made it extraordinary — but so too did the way it was cared for at the end of its life. Instead of being lost to decay or firewood, it was given the chance to endure.
This tree is a symbol. It’s a reminder that beauty doesn’t end when a tree is felled. With care, patience, and respect, it can become something new. Something lasting. Something that carries forward the spirit of what came before.
And in that sense, this tree isn’t gone at all. It simply gave in but never gave up and we are lucky enough to give it the nudge it needed to carry on.
A New Beginning
Sauvie Island looks a little different today. The trees once dwarfed by the giant now look a little larger, the unevenness of soil where the tree was rooted leads to wonder and intrigue about what led to the unique formation, and the gap in the skyline is a reminder of what once was. The giant no longer stretches its branches across the horizon. But the tree lives on, creating new memories and being able to witness more than just the single view it was bound to for so many years.
It offers many that were unable to view it in its former glory a chance to touch history. For the family, it offers a way to keep their story connected to the land. For us at Goby Walnut, it reaffirms why we do what we do: to honor the past, respect the material, and create a future where nothing of beauty is wasted.
The Sauvie Island walnut tree stood as a champion in life. Today, it stands as a champion in legacy. And its story is still being written — in every board, every project, and every hand that continues its work.