The Big Tree Program originated in Maryland in 1925 and its popularity spread across the United States. Since 1940, the program has been run nationally by American Forests, www.americanforests.org. Each state has a State Coordinator who collects data, measures trees, and biannually submits certain trees to American Forests as potential National Champions. In Maryland, the Big Tree program is run by volunteers who are highly trained in the art and science of Big Tree identification and measurements. The group manages the largest database of Big Trees in the US and provides certificates to tree owners who are registered with the program. Visit the Big Tree website (link below) to peruse the database and to learn how a tree qualifies for the title of Big Tree.
The program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Forest Service - for Urban and Community Programming through the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources - with the 24 local Forestry Boards providing measuring assistance when possible.
