Big Trees an Ohio asset

Thursday, November 26, 2009

By LENNY C. LEPOLA
News Assistant Managing Editor

When Brian Riley, a Service Forester with the Ohio Division of Forestry, gave a presentation to members of the Big Walnut Area Historical Society last Tuesday (November 17) evening he told a story about the first tree he nominated for a place on Ohio’s Big Tree Program registry.

It was long before Riley entered the forestry field as a career, but he read about Ohio’s Big Tree Program and knew the location of a large European Alder that might qualify for the registry. The Alder had an 86-inch circumference, that’s 7.16 feet around, and stood 53 feet tall.

Riley read about the Big Tree nomination process and understood how to fill out the required paperwork. The only problem was he had to approach the Columbus property owner where the European Alder was growing to gain permission to nominate the tree as a potential Ohio’s Big Tree.

Riley said it took some courage, but it had to be done. “Grandpa,” he said … and the rest is history.

Riley came onboard with the Ohio Division of Forestry in 2003, and was immediately tasked with measuring all of Ohio’s big trees.

“When I started the Ohio Big Tree Program was in disrepair,” Riley said. “My objective was to relocate trees that had been nominated for Ohio’s program since 1955. It wasn’t easy at first - 2003, 2004, 2005 – but we got the program back up and running.”

Riley said Ohio’s Big Tree Program is patterned after the National Register of Big Trees, and uses the same criteria to establish Big Tree status. In fact, Riley said, Ohio’s Big Tree Program includes 12 specimens that are on the National Register of Big Trees.

A point system establishes a tree’s status within its species. Trees receive points for circumference at four and one-half feet above grade, height and average crown spread.

Riley’s grandfather’s European Alder is still on the Ohio Big Tree Program registry with 150 points.

There are 260 state champion trees in Ohio, 190 of those are native species. Riley’s PowerPoint presentation last Tuesday included 43 state and national champion trees.

He started his program with an American plum growing in Ostrander that has a humble 33-inch circumference. He said that size and points within each species is what qualifies a tree for Ohio’s Big Tree Program, not size alone.

Other examples in Riley’s presentation included a Southern Red Oak, a Rock Elm Tree and a Tamarack Pine.

Southern trees like the Sweet Bay Magnolia and Carolina Silverbell share space on the Ohio registry along with native Ohio trees like a common Hackberry in Findlay that Riley said is a borderline national champion tree.

Riley said both the Ohio and national tree registry lists the high point tree in each species, but keeps a backup registry two and three trees deep in the event that disease or natural disaster destroys a standing champion.

Trees could also be removed by property owners for a variety of reasons, including development.

“The purpose of Ohio’s Big Tree Program is to recognize trees, there is no legal protection awarded to trees on the registry,” Riley explained. “But if a tree is recognized, 99.9 percent of the time that tree will not be cut down.”

Riley’s presentation continued: an American Chestnut, a Swamp Cottonwood, Pumpkin Ash, Black Ash, a Post Oak in Urbana, a Pin Oak in Olmstead Falls. An American Holly, a Japanese Yew and Atlantic White Cedar, a Tulip Tree, a Southern Catalpa … the list goes on and on.

Riley said 30 percent of Ohio’s champion trees are in cemeteries.

“There’s a state champion September Elm in Spring Grove Cemetery in the Cincinnati area with an 88-inch circumference that’s 89 feet tall,” Riley said. “That 700-acre cemetery contains the largest single collection of champion trees in Ohio.”

Ohio’s largest Elm is an American Elm in Sugar Grove with a 279-inch circumference. To put that in perspective that’s 23 feet around. That tree is 108 feet tall, has 110-foot crown spread, and comes in at 415 points.

Delaware County is home to an Eastern Cottonwood that qualifies as Ohio’s second largest big tree. The specimen, located at Alum Creek State Park, boasts a 358-inch circumference (29 feet and 10 inches around), has a 9-foot, 6-inch diameter, is 136 feet tall with a 135-foot crown spread, and comes in at a whopping 528 points.

Who can nominate a candidate for Ohio’s big tree program?

Riley said anyone who knows of a champion tree that is not on the register and is willing to take the time to do a few simple measurements and fill out paperwork can get a big tree on the registry or considered for a backup.

“We’re always seeking nominations from the general public,” Riley explained. “Without the public we wouldn’t have Ohio’s Big Tree Program; and it’s an asset to our state to have the Big Tree Program up and running.”

For trivia fans, what is the biggest tree in the United States? The General Sherman Giant Sequoia in Sequoia National Park near Visalia, California, is 275 feet tall, the circumference at grade is 102 feet (that’s feet, not inches) and a 25-foot diameter at 4.5-feet above grade.

For additional information about Ohio’s Big Tree Program go to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website at < http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/ >, under Recreation click on Forests, the click Ohio Big Trees.