Bob:

Most property owners really do not recognize that they own it.  In  most
cases these are areas that are dominated by species that are of low  commercial
value or incredibly difficult to access.  Often one of the  fastest and easiest
ways to notice such a location is the condition or  diversity of the
understory.

When I do notice a patch of older growth woods I always make mention to the  
owner if they do not realize what they have.  Also, some of the oldest  woods
I have ever been in were not at all populated by extremely large  
trees....most easily axccessible forest areas on highly productive land is long  ago gone
the way of the dodo.

What amazes me most are some of the individual trees, especially red and  
white oaks that were either set out or left standing near the site of natural  
springs.  Although West Virginia is all mountainous and hilly, in a  majority of
the state, especially in the western half, natural and free  flowing springs
are rare.  For many areas an individual tree located  next to a spring might
well be the largest of its kind for miles around.

Below is a cut and paste from a photo near Walton, WV.  Just to the  south of
where the black line comes in from the top of the photo and splits  some very
large tops are present.  

The largest top belongs to an  exceptionally large
red oak tree a couple hundred feet from the site of a long  gone log cabin.    
For a size reference, the barn located just  aboe the "Maptech" logo at the
bottom of the photo is 55' long.  The owner  lives very nearby but has yet to
visit the tree I discovered over five years  ago.  In spite of the photo showing
open land, this terrain is nowhere as  foot friendly as it would appear.  

In the same area there is a farm with a woods at least 150 years old that  
has been held in trust by lawyers for over 100 years.  The center of this  
photo, north of the arcing road is very old forest.
=
Russ