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Six Maryland Trees Become New National Champion Trees
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Six of Maryland’s current big tree champions were recently deemed new National Champions by the nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization, American Forests in the 2008-2009 National Register of Big Trees.
“We are proud of these honors which help to keep Maryland’s strong forestry tradition alive,” said Steve Koehn, Maryland Forest Service Director.
The new national champions from Maryland include:
- An American Elm with a trunk circumference of 246 inches from Baltimore County. Standing 136 feet tall, it is the tallest of all the elm species national champions in the United States.
- In Howard County, a Bigleaf Magnolia, standing 55 feet tall with an average crown spread of 53 feet.
- An Atlantic White-cedar from Bel Air, Md. with a 127-inch in trunk circumference.
- In Silver Spring, Md. a Blackhaw standing 26 feet tall was designated co-champion with a Virginia tree of the same species.
- A Kentucky Coffeetree, standing 85 feet tall from Washington, Md. also became a co-champion with a tree from Ohio.
- An American Holly located in Prince George’s County became a tri-champion with two Virginia trees.
“The Maryland Big Tree program is thrilled to have its champions recognized at a national level,“ said John Bennett, Maryland Big Tree Program Volunteer Manager. “It highlights not only the sheer size of these impressive trees, but focuses on the value of all trees.”
Official big tree designations are based on a point system. A tree’s eligibility for big tree status relies upon three measurements including: trunk circumference at 4 ˝ feet above the ground; vertical tree height; and the average crown spread. These measurements are added together to calculate the tree’s total points.
For more information, email John Bennett at: Mdbigtreeprogram@aol.com.
To be eligible for listing in the National Register of Big Trees, a species must be recognized as native or naturalized in the continental United States. When two trees have scores that fall within 5 points of each other, they are listed as co-champions. For a complete listing of national champion trees, visit www.americanforests.org/downloads/bigtrees/2008_NB_Tree_Reg.pdf.
May 8, 2008 Contact: Olivia Campbell
410-260-8016 office I 410-507-7525 cell
ocampbell@dnr.state.md.usMaryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov.