Champion Trees

[Nickrosis]

Mike Maas....

One day I was sent out to re-measure a state champion Oak tree and remove a lousy boxelder. The champion tree was almost big enough to be a national champion, so a re-measure was in order to see if it might qualify.

Funny you should mention champion trees tonight. Our urban forestry coordinator, Don Kissinger, came out tonight to show our SSA branch the proper way to measure a champion tree for the record books. This way, people who would like to nominate a tree in our area can call us up. One of us would show up and do the official measurements or confirm their work - the tree goes in the record books.

On campus we have some state champion trees - a northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis), a northern white cedar or arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), and a red maple (Acer rubrum). I really have a love for big trees - this made my day!

Nickrosis

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Nick,

Did you learn how to measure DBH on a tree that grows on a slope? Do you measure from the high side or the low side?

In Robert Van Pelt's book, Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast he has good diagrams to show how to collect the data. This is an incredible book!

This is what Robert says:

Problems arise with the phrase "above aaverage ground level," [to measure the DBH] as many trees grow on slopes or uneven ground. Here the rule is to measure 4.5 feet up from both the high side and the low side, find the midpoint between the two, and take measurements there. If the slope is so steep that the average location is below the ground level on the high side-that is, if the distance between the two measurements is greater than the distance between the two measuremnts is greater than 9 feet-then the lowest practical point is used. Further complications arise when branches obstruct or influence the approporiate loaction. A tree with low branches, for example an open-grown or city treee, might give a larger measure at 4.5 feet than at 3 feet. The rule that the tree be measured at 4.5 feet or the smallest reading obtainable below that point ensures that the smallest possible reading is used.

Tom