2017 Maryland Big Tree Program Report
In 2017, the MBTP volunteers measured, re-measured, or deleted 280 trees. There were 248 trees either re-measured or new and 32 trees were reported deceased. There are currently 1863 active trees (measured in the last 10 years) on the Maryland database, 443 deceased trees & 637 inactive trees (trees not re-measured in the last 10 years for various reasons). It is the goal of the MBTP to measure/re-measure/delete 200 of the registered trees each year.
The MBTP was funded by grants from the Maryland Urban and Community Forestry Committee, the Anne Arundel County Forestry Board, and several other MD Forestry Boards that provided reimbursement to their members, or in-kind donations.
Highlights
The web site, www.mdbigtrees.com, continues to be an important source of new big tree referrals, with most of the new trees being referred automatically from the web site nomination form. The designer of this web site went out of business in 2014, but we were extremely fortunate that a volunteer was able to lease a new hosting site and migrate the web site to this new site. In 2017 a campaign was started to raise funds for a new website and Ken McCathran volunteered to prepare the specifications for the solicitation of bids.
Since 2010, the MBTP was managed by the Cecil County Forestry Board. In 2016 a new State-wide committee was formed from members of the Maryland Association of Forest Conservancy District Boards. No changes to date have been made in operating policy but several have been proposed in 2017.
Eight State Champion trees have died this year; four native species, and four non-native species:
American beech Anne
Arundel County 428 points UNITED STATES CHAMPION
Green ash
Washington County 324 points killed
by emerald ash borer
White mulberry
Washington County 299 points non-native co-champion
Purple beech
Carroll County 289 points non-native
Norway maple
Harford County 299 points non-native co-champion
Southern crabapple
Kent County 123 points UNITED STATES CHAMPION
Common boxwood
Montgomery County 62 points non-native
Catawba rhododendron
Anne Arundel County 40 points
killed by March ice storm
Twenty-five new native and twenty-one non-native State Champions were crowned in 2017. These were new trees discovered that exceeded the points value of the current championnot trees that replaced dead champions.
Eastern Cottonwood Baltimore County
431 points native
European Linden -
Montgomery County -- 420 points non-native
Green Ash - Cecil County -- 347 points native
Red Maple - Anne Arundel County -- 343 points native
Japanese Zelkova -
Montgomery County --337 points non-native
Pecan - Worcester County
--331 points native
Overcup Oak - Baltimore City --286
points native
Eastern Hemlock -
Howard County co-champion --286
points - native
Dawn Redwood -
Harford County --273 points non-native
Hungarian Oak - Calvert County --267 points
non-native
Lebanon Cedar - St. Marys County - co-champion
--260 points non-native
Mockernut Hickory -
Montgomery County --259
points - native
Ailanthus - Baltimore City
co-champion --258 points
non-native invasive
Himalayan Pine -
Talbot County
--250
points - non-native
Honeylocust - Baltimore City co-champion --236 points native
Honeylocust - Montgomery County co-champion --233 points native
Weeping European
Beech - Cecil County --233 points
non-native
Deodar Cedar - Talbot County --224 points
native to west coast
White Poplar - Montgomery County -
co-champion --223 points non-native
White Poplar - Montgomery County -
co-champion --221 points non-native
Paper Birch - Harford County --219 points
native
London Planetree - Talbot County --213 points
non-native
Bigtooth Aspen - Montgomery County -
co-champion --206 points native
Sycamore Maple - Baltimore City --199 points
non-native
European Turkey Oak - Baltimore City --199 points non-native
Black Maple - Washington County --196 points -
native
Paper Mulberry - Baltimore City --192 points
non-native invasive
Coast Redwood - Montgomery County --163 points
native to west coast
Swamp Cottonwood - Baltimore City --154 points
native
Bradford Pear - Baltimore City --148 points
non-native invasive
Flowering Dogwood - Frederick County co-champion --122 points native
Flowering Dogwood - Montgomery County co-champion --119 points native
Flowering Dogwood - Montgomery County co-champion --118 points native
Higan Cherry -
Baltimore City --118 points
non-native
Japanese Flowering
Cherry Harford County --117 points
non-native
Red Buckeye - Montgomery County -- 96 points - native
White Spruce - Baltimore City -- 93 points native
Carolina Cherrylaurel -
Somerset County -- 89 points native
European Smoketree -
Montgomery County -- 88 points non-native
Chinese Fringetree -
Baltimore City -- 87 points non-native
Fragrant Snowbell - Calvert County -- 82 points non-native
Southern Bayberry - Somerset County -- 64 points native
Staghorn Sumac - Montgomery County -- 54 points - native
Live Oak - Talbot County -- 46 points native
Purple Leaf Cherry - Baltimore City 2 trees same
size --
41 points non-native
Buttonbush - Montgomery County -- 38 points - native
No
Maryland Bicentennial Trees were discovered and measured this year.
Twelve current champions were re-measured and continued as State Champions.
Osage Orange - Queen Annes County -- 395 points - native
Swamp White Oak - Prince Georges County -- 367 points native
Black Mulberry - Carroll County UNITED STATES CHAMPION -- 360 points non-native
Chinese Wingnut - Talbot County -- 355 points
non-native
Black Walnut - Prince Georges
County -- 351 points
native
Copper Beech - Harford County -- 335 points
non-native
Shagbark Hickory - Anne Arundel County U. S. CHAMPION -- 320 points native
Sassafras - Anne Arundel
County -- 277 points
native
Japanese Falsecypress -
Harford County -- 241 points
non-native
Yellowwood - Harford County -- 228 points
native
Japanese Raisintree -
Prince Georges County -- 157 points
non-native
Sweetbay Magnolia -
Harford County -- 130 points -- native