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 champion—not 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. Mary’s 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 Anne’s County                                  -- 395 points - native          

Swamp White Oak                - Prince George’s 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 George’s 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 George’s County                               -- 157 points – non-native

Sweetbay Magnolia               - Harford County                                            -- 130 points -- native