While pulling taps the other day I was marveling at some big trees in our sugarbush – the largest is the 50-incher you see here. To think that it started its life competing with thousands of seedlings, and persevered over the century or centuries to become the biggest tree in the stand, is inspiring. The tree has been tapped for at least 80 years, so I feel a great deal of appreciation on that front, too.
Most sugarmakers have a tree like this in their woods, so we thought it would be cool to start a “big maple” contest. We’re inviting everyone to measure their own giant maples and we’ll crown a grand champion – the biggest tree of them all. To enter the largest tree in your sugarbush, take a tape measure and wrap it around the tree at breast height (4.5 feet from the ground). Take a picture of the tape for verification. Then take a picture that allows us to see that the tree is woods-grown – lawn trees aren’t eligible. If the tree forks below 4.5 feet, measure it at the smallest circumference below the fork. The winning maple will get its picture published in the Spring 2017 issue of Northern Woodlands, and the winning sugarmaker will get an honorary plaque. You can put it on the wall of your home or sugarhouse, or you can affix it like a medal to your champion tree. Please submit your photos by January 1, 2017.
Photos may be sent via email to: bigmaple(at)northernwoodlands.org
Snail mail works, too.
Northern Woodlands
P.O. Box 471
Corinth, VT 05039-0471