Chemung County requests submissions to the Big Tree Registry

Chemung County, New York – Do you know of any large trees in Chemung County? The county would like to know if that is the case.

Chemung County is not included on the New York State Big Tree Register, which is a list of some of the largest trees in the state maintained by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). By establishing Chemung County’s own Big Tree Registry, the Environmental Management Council (EMC) and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) hope to reverse this. This is where you come in.

Explore your neighborhood, trails, and picturesque roads, and look for large trees—that’s what the EMC and SWCD want you to do. If you come across a massive tree, you can measure it (as long as the landowner gives you permission), complete out the form, and send it in to the EMC and SWCD. Applications are being accepted by the EMC and SWCD until September 30. After that, staff members will tour the county to confirm measurements and identify the largest trees in each species. You and the tree will be included in the first Chemung County Big Tree Registry if yours is the largest tree of its kind to be submitted.

The species, height, circumference, crown spread, and location of the tree are all requested on the Big Tree Registry application. The trees’ dimensions will be used to create a point system that will determine which trees win. The county advises using the free PlantNet app on your phone to identify the tree if you are unsure of its species. As an alternative, you can use a website or reference book.

The Chemung County website provides instructions on how to measure the tree’s height and crown spread, but you’ll need an additional person to assist you. The circumference must be measured in inches and at a height of 4.5 from the floor. To make it simpler for EMC and SWCD personnel to find and remeasure the tree, its GPS coordinates using NAD 83 must also be noted.

The county requests that the submission form be filled out in its entirety and that, if at all feasible, a picture of the tree be sent with it. Private addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses are never shared with the public and are solely utilized by county employees to verify tree measurements.

All of the largest trees in Chemung County will be compared by the EMC and SWCD to the New York State Big Tree Register. Staff will assist you with registering your tree with the DEC if it is larger than one of the trees on the list.