Maryland’s Big Tree Program Turns 100
A hundred years ago, Maryland residents across the state set out to find big trees.
In what newspapers simply called the “Tree Contest,” the Maryland Department of Forestry and the Maryland Forestry Association solicited submissions of trees that were notable for their “size, history, or other distinguishing characteristics.” They asked Marylanders to mail in the record of the tree, a photo if they had one, and directions on how to find it.
The contest, which ran from April to July 1925 — with an extended deadline due to sustained interest, drew 450 entries from every Maryland county but one. A 124-foot-tall pecan tree in Princess Anne placed first, netting its owner a $25 prize.
For John Bennett, the effects of that contest live on 100 years later in the Maryland Big Tree Program, which he co-chairs, and in the nationwide effort it helped inspire as well as the excitement for forestry it generated. Bennett said Maryland’s big trees help spread awareness for sustainable forestry — adaptive management techniques that promote the long-term health of forests, allowing both big trees and full forests to thrive.
“The main thing is to continue to have publicity toward the ultimate goal of sustainable forestry in Maryland,” Mr. Bennett said. “If people buy into the fact that trees are good, people will buy into the need to support sustainable forestry.”
The Maryland Big Tree Program continues to accept submissions for large trees and has catalogued thousands of notable trees in the state. Long part of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the program now operates as a volunteer group with DNR support.
Fred Besley, Maryland’s first state forester, had spearheaded the idea for a big tree champion contest to spur interest in Maryland’s trees and compile a list of the notable trees of the state. He himself was struck by Maryland’s rich forests and spent his 36 years as state forester spreading that appreciation.
“Trees are the outstanding feature of the Maryland landscape,” Mr. Besley wrote in a 1956 booklet, reflecting on the 1925 contest. “We recognize in them the highest type in the plant world. They are the largest and oldest of living things.”
Read more about the program here.
