This huge Sugar Maple in front of the West Hill House is being measured by Peter MacLaren. It measured 150 inches in circumference.
How big is the biggest tree in the Mad River Valley? To help answer this question, The Madsonian and the Mad River Path want you to search for the Valley’s biggest trees. A special prize is up for grabs to whomever finds, measures, and submits a picture of what ends up being the biggest tree of the challenge: a custom-made bench from master carpenter and Valley resident, Charlie Hosford.
When the Madsonian started up, an elder citizen of Waitsfield proclaimed that the tree stump in front of the Bridge Street entrance was the remains of the awesome “Waitsfield Elm,” famous for being the biggest in the State of Vermont. It was thought that one of the huge limbs could take out the covered bridge if it came down in a storm, so the whole tree was cut down. The stump is between 6 and 7 feet in diameter, yielding a circumference of between 226 and 264 inches! The State record Elm as listed has a diameter of 201 inches. Wow, they were right. The Waitsfield Elm, as it was known, was the biggest in the State by lots, but is today’s state record tree somewhere out there in the Mad River Valley?
According to the Vermont Dept. of Forest and Parks listing of the biggest trees in the state by town, there is only one tree listed in Warren, Waitsfield or Fayston—an Eastern Hemlock. This is the Valley’s chance to show the state how great our trees really are and help complete the State’s list of big trees. Pictures of the trees submitted will also comprise a gallery of Big Trees at the Madsonian after the challenge ends on December 31, 2020.
The rules are simple. First, you must be sure that you have permission to be on the land on which the tree of interest resides and that you stay off closed trails (see www.mrvrd.org/ or www.trailfinder.info to check a trail status). Then, you measure the tree’s circumference at 4.5 feet above the ground (measure under any protrusions like a branch or burl). Take a picture of the measurement, ID the tree species, take the coordinates of the tree (hint: use google maps or other map app on your cell phone) and submit it one of two ways: email the picture and info to bigtrees@madsonian.com or on MRP’s web-form at www.madriverpath.org/bigtrees. This webpage includes helpful hints on how to measure and ID trees. The hunt is on!