This is the largest Chinkapin oak on record in the state. Photo by Liz Potasek.

By Liz Potasek

A Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and Chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii Engelm) at the Arboretum have recently made Minnesota's Native Big Tree Champion Registry, as the largest trees recorded in each category.

State Foresters Chad Gelner and Daniel Kutschied measure the circumference of the Green ash in the Dayton Wildflower Garden. Photo by Liz Potasek.

Minnesota's Native Big registry highlights the largest specimens of Minnesota's 53 native trees. Trees are judged based on trunk circumference, height and crown spread. "It's a really fun way to get people engaged," says State Forester Chad Gelner, adding that he's always on the lookout for big trees as he's working in the woods.

The Green ash in the Dayton Wildflower Garden has two main trunks branching from one large trunk with a 184-inch circumference. Photo by Liz Potasek.

Arboretum volunteer David Fulkerson nominated a Green ash in the Dayton Wildflower Garden and a Chinkapin oak in the Oak and Nut Collection. Two Minnesota State Foresters, Gelner and Daniel Kutschied, visited the Arboretum on July 26 to take measurements of the trees, and they confirmed that the trees were indeed the largest documented tree of their species in the state.