Adrian, MI – ReLeaf Michigan, a state-wide non-profit tree planting and education organization, recently celebrated the conclusion of its 15th biennial Michigan Big Tree Hunt contest with an awards ceremony at the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland. The contest, which awards participants for identifying the biggest trees in Michigan, began in the spring of 2020 and concluded at the end of the summer of 2022.
More than 650 entries were sent in from people across the state, including 79 of Michigan’s 83 counties. The winning entry for each county was verified on-site by professional arborists and foresters from throughout the state. The largest trees in the state were found in all sorts of places, including backyards, local parks, cemeteries, and hiking trails. Due to many trees being on private property, the specific location of every winning tree is kept confidential.
Lenawee County’s largest tree found during the Big Tree Hunt was an Eastern Cottonwood in Tecumseh,nominated by Brian Bodell. The tree measured 233 inches in circumference.
ReLeaf Michigan has been conducting the Big Tree Hunt since 1993, and many participate year after year. Certificates and prizes were awarded for several categories: the largest tree submitted from each county, the overall largest tree in different age groups, the largest Eastern White Pine (Michigan’s state tree), and any new potential state champion trees.
The grand prize for the largest tree in the contest submitted by a Big Tree Hunter under 15 years old went to Aidan Presnell. Aiden, with help from his sister, found an Eastern cottonwood measuring 308 inches around, located in Washtenaw County. The grand prize for the largest tree from a Big Tree Hunter 16 or older was awarded to both Mike Antoszewski and Paul Funk, who each entered an Eastern cottonwood in Monroe County measuring 301 inches around. The grand prize for the largest Eastern White Pine was another two-way tie, with two submissions both measuring 181 inches around! One was submitted by Tom Hollis and his granddaughter Payton Rue, located in Clinton County. The other was submitted by Nicholas Hansen, located in Marquette County.
Seventeen trees submitted for the contest qualified as new potential state champion trees and were submitted for review and confirmation to the Big Tree Coordinator of the Michigan Botanical Society, Ted Reuschel. (Note: Trees already listed in the Michigan Big Tree Register before the start of the contest were not eligible for prizes.) A complete list of winners is available on www.BigTreeHunt.com.
The contest also helps discover eligible trees for the National Register of Big Trees, updated every spring and fall by American Forests. Michigan currently has five registered National Champion trees.
The next Big Tree Hunt will officially begin in the spring of 2023, pending contest sponsorship. If interested in supporting the Michigan Big Tree Hunt contest, email bigtreehunt@releafmichigan.org.
ReLeaf Michigan is a statewide volunteer non-profit 501(c)(3) tree planting and education organization. Its mission is to educate the public on the value of trees and how to properly select, plant, and maintain them. Its board is made up primarily of arborists, foresters, and researchers passionate about preserving one of Michigan’s most significant resources: trees.
Since 1988, ReLeaf Michigan has worked with more than 500 communities across the state, planting over 30,000 large-sized trees on public property in Michigan’s cities, townships, and villages. Learn more at releafmichigan.org.
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