Who has the biggest tree in Harford County? Right now, it’s an American sycamore on private property in Fallston.
It’s one of 200 to 250 trees in the state’s Big Tree Program, a way of recognizing the biggest trees of every species growing in an area, according to Jim Sherring, a volunteer for the Harford County Forestry Board.
Trees are measured every 10 years. Fifteen were measured during the latter half of 2018, Sherring said, and nine of them were Harford County champions.
“It’s a bragging rights thing, having the biggest tree,” Sherring said.
All the trees re-measured, both in Harford and across the state, can be found on the Maryland Big Tree Program website, www.mdbigtrees.com.
The program was started in the 1920s or 1930s by the first state forester, Fred Besley, who wanted to assert — then later prove — the Wye Oak was the largest white oak in the United States, Sherring said.
He developed a formula using circumference, height and spread to create a point system, which did indeed prove the Wye Oak was the largest in the country until it died in 2002.
Technically, the formula adds the circumferences (in inches), the height (in feet) and one quarter of the tree’s spread (in feet) to calculate its points.
Harford’s largest tree of any species — the sycamore — has 449 points.
Sherring encouraged anyone who thinks they might have a “Big Tree” to contact the Harford Forestry Board, which will examine the tree.
“We try to get people interested, to say ‘we’ve got a big oak out in the backyard, let’s see if it measures up,’ ” she said.
Trees that are 70 percent or higher of the champion’s point value get added to the big tree database and website.
Owners of the biggest trees get a certificate verifying the size of the tree.
Visit www.mdbigtrees.com to find Harford’s and the state’s biggest trees, or to nominate a tree.
Sherring began volunteering about six years ago. He has about 6 acres in Forest Hill and wanted to learn more about planting trees on it and making it a small woodland. He took a class at Harford Community College then joined the Harford Forestry Board. A few years later he became the chair.
“The people who do the measuring are people that love trees anyway, always fun to go out and see a large tree or unusual tree,” Sherring said.
The Harford Forestry Board volunteers also measured 24 new trees, either nominated by their owners or discovered while on-site. In one case a neighbor nominated a tree and while visiting the property and talking with the owner, they discovered a new county co-champion black cherry.
The trees measured this year, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, are listed below:
1. A huge white oak in the Darlington area is the Harford County champion and is the No. 3 white oak in Maryland. It scored 396 points, up from 379 points in 2008. The state champion, in Cecil County, is at 406 points, and a tree in Calvert County is at 399 points. The Harford tree is privately owned. The late Wye Oak was at 506 points when it blew over in 2002.
2. This tree is a Chinese chestnut, also in the Darlington area and privately owned. As the name suggests, these trees are not native to the United States. They were introduced to replace the American chestnut, which was killed off by the chestnut blight in the early part of the 1900s. This is the Harford County champion and the No. 3 chestnut in Maryland. It scored at 236 points.
3. This southern magnolia, the Harford County champion, is on the same private property as the Chinese chestnut and, like the chestnut, was planted a number of years ago. Southern magnolias are native to the Southeast United States, from Virginia south. They are widely planted in Maryland as landscaping trees because of their large glossy leaves and fragrant white flowers. As the climate warms, larger and larger examples are expected to be found. This tree scored at 214 points, with the Maryland state champion in Somerset County at 304 points.
4. This black locust is the Harford County champion. This species is very common in Maryland. Black locust is a small to mid-sized tree, rarely scoring more than 300 points. It grows rapidly when young, with underground roots that can sprout new trees some distance from the parent tree. Black locust need full sun to thrive; they are typically found along fence rows, like this tree. The interior wood is yellow and makes excellent firewood.
Wisteria growing up the tree will eventually damage it, but the owner likes the fragrance of the flowers and does not want it removed. This tree scored 219 points; the state champion has 303 points.
5. This tree is a Norway spruce growing on private property in Bel Air. It scored 259 points, with the state champion at 295 points. This is the third biggest Norway spruce in Maryland. It is the new Harford County champion; the old champion, also the former state champion, has died. Norway spruce are not native to Maryland, but do very well here and are widely planted as landscape trees. They are low maintenance and relatively long-lived. They usually do not need to be pruned to maintain their form.
6. This is a blue spruce, a cousin to the Norway spruce. It is the Harford County champion and the No. 5 blue spruce on the Maryland list. It is privately owned in Bel Air. It scored 148 points. Blue spruce, also known as Colorado spruce, is native to the Rocky Mountains, where it can grow to 100 feet or more. Cultivated trees on the East Coast generally grow to 70 feet tall. There are many cultivars available on the market, so it is impossible to tell if this tree is a pure native or if it is one of the many hybrids.