ReLeaf Michigan wrapped up its 16th Big Tree Hunt, drawing 500 entries from 76 counties
Winners included a 327-inch weeping willow and a 240-inch sugar maple
The contest raises awareness of trees’ role in protecting Michigan’s water and environment
A statewide search for Michigan’s mightiest trees has wrapped up, and it turns out some of the biggest giants weren’t that difficult to spot.
ReLeaf, a nonprofit organization that works to restore and protect the state’s trees, recently concluded its 16th Michigan Big Tree Hunt after two years of collecting nominations.
The adult grand prize went to Kathy Briggerman, who identified a huge weeping willow in Shiawassee County that measured 327 inches around — a circumference of more than 27 feet.
Siblings Corey and Dani Town earned the top youth honor after spotting a massive sugar maple in Lapeer County with a trunk measuring 240 inches around.
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In Lapeer County, siblings Corey and Dani Town took top youth honors in the Michigan Big Tree Hunt after finding a sugar maple with a trunk measuring 240 inches around. (Courtesy of ReLeaf Michigan)
The contest, which garnered over 500 entries across 76 of the 83 counties in Michigan, encourages people to “get up off their butts and get outside to participate.”
“It’s exciting. People love to talk about it. People love to participate,” said Lindsay Lights, chair of the Big Tree Hunt. “The whole state gets involved, and so it just gets people outside looking at trees, thinking about them while they’re driving.”
Certificates were awarded for the largest tree submitted from each county and the overall largest tree in different age groups.
Another award for the largest eastern white pine, which is the official state tree, went to Michael Anger, whose entry from Antrim County came in at 192 inches around.
Additionally, 16 trees were submitted to qualify as new state champion trees, which are determined by the Michigan Botanical Society.
The current state champion is an eastern red cedar tree in Kalamazoo County. Its key measurements were girth of 133 inches, height of 101 feet and average crown spread of 47 feet.
Find really big trees
The biennial competition also turns up contenders for the National Register of Big Trees, overseen by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.
Michigan has several trees on that national list, including a bur oak tree in Berrien County with a circumference of 325 inches.
The Michigan Botanical Society also maintains a Big Tree Register that includes GPS coordinates for unusually large or tall trees across the state.
Find big trees in your area here.
In Antrim County, Michael Anger claimed the prize for the largest eastern white pine, submitting a 192-inch-around tree that stood out among entries of Michigan’s state tree. (Courtesy of ReLeaf Michigan)
ReLeaf, the nonprofit that runs the Big Tree Hunt, works with communities to plant trees that help naturally filter and protect the region’s water.
The Great Lakes account for 21% of the world’s fresh water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The health of that water is closely linked to the strength of the surrounding tree canopy.
“We also realized that overall, there just needed to be a greater awareness of trees, and that’s how this contest got started,” Lights said.
To submit a tree, participants had to measure its circumference, identify the species and provide a photo. Some of the entries were in places that one wouldn’t think to look for a tree.
“It’s really interesting when there’s a tree that wins on the side of the road in front of a house – a tree that gets passed by all the time and no one pays much attention to it, but it’s actually the biggest tree in the county. That’s incredible,” Lights said.
Once all of the submissions are narrowed down, arborists, foresters and other experts volunteer to verify the trees, which can be an adventure in itself.
“One of them had to scale a ravine. One of them got poison ivy this year and in our last contest, one of them had to go on a canoe ride to find the tree,” Lights said of the verifiers.
ReLeaf will begin taking submissions for the 17th biennial tree hunt in the spring.
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