State of Maryland Big Tree Summary

2007 State of Maryland Big Tree Summary

The Maryland Association of Forest Conservancy District Boards, and the Cecil Forest Conservancy District Board is pleased to announce the results of the 2007 Maryland Big Tree Program.  There were 124 trees measured or remeasured in 2007 in 15 counties.  61 trees were newly nominated and measured, and 63 trees were remeasured.  There are currently 1,825 Big Trees on the Maryland Big Tree Register at the end of the 2007 year.  The deaths of 45 trees were reported this year.   

The Maryland Big Tree Program was first started in 1925, and each year the list is updated to reflect new trees, remeasured trees, and deceased trees.  Trees are eligible if their total points are at least 70% of the current State champion tree in that species.  The largest tree in each species is designated the “champion” tree.  Trees are designated State “co-champions” if they are within 5 points of each other.         

There are currently 280 species of trees and shrubs on the Maryland Big Tree Register, reflecting Maryland’s incredible bio-diversity and supporting the nickname of “America in Miniature”.  Examples of three new species--Japanese black pine, Chinese wingnut, Japanese chestnut--were added to the Register, and the only measurable examples of four species—white basswood, American chestnut, black maple, chalk maple--were either reported dead or identified incorrectly.         

The emphasis this year was on remeasuring our State Champions.  Consequently 60 new or existing State champions of our 141 native or naturalized species were measured in 2007.  43 State champions remain to be located and remeasured as they have not been remeasured in the past 5 years.  There are now 8 species for which there are no measurable examples—the 4 species mentioned above plus cockspur and Washington hawthorn, Carolina hemlock, and striped maple.  Also there was a published report of a sandbar willow, but that report unfortunately was not correct.         

We do not have an updated list of the non-native species’ champions.  The three new species mentioned above are champions because they are the only example in Maryland.  In addition, we remeasured these non-native State champions: copper beech,  Japanese falsecypress,  cryptomeria, autumn-olive, ginkgo (co-champion), Japanese black pine, littleleaf linden, pendant silver linden.          

Also this year the updated nominations for the National Register of Big Trees was due.  We submitted 18 existing and new nominations.  We should know by early spring how many of those trees will be U.S. Champion Trees.  This update occurs every two years.         

Two trees of special significance were remeasured this year.  First, in Carroll County, we remeasured the State champion sycamore, which, at 464 points, ties the Cecil County silver maple as “Maryland’s Biggest Tree”.  The Wye Oak, which fell down  in 2002, was the only  recorded tree in Maryland larger than the sycamore. We also remeasured “Flora’s Oak”, a magnificent white oak in Montgomery County, for which the Montgomery County Forestry Board has applied to Governor O’Malley for a proclamation as “Maryland’s State Tree.”