The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) needs the public’s help to update The Big Tree Registry, a list of the largest known specimen of each native tree species in Indiana.
“Indiana’s currently tallest recorded tree is a 152-foot-tall bitternut hickory, and our widest tree circumference is a silver maple at more than 361 inches,” said Jacob Roos, DNR urban forestry director. “We need help getting out across the state to find our new record-setting trees.”
That means it’s time to review the recently updated champions list and start looking for new candidates to nominate for the list, which is maintained by DNR’s Division of Forestry.
Three measurements are required:
• trunk circumference, in inches, at 4 1/2 feet above the ground;
• total height, in feet;
• and average crown spread, in feet.
The total size of each tree nominated is calculated by adding the circumference and height to a quarter of the average crown spread.
The individual tree of each Indiana native tree species with the highest total points will be that species’ Big Tree champion. All nominations are reviewed, but only those with the highest scores will be verified.
To review the updated Big Tree Registry, view detailed measurement instructions and nominate, see on.IN.gov/big-tree.
| Species | Scientific Name | County | Circumference (inches) | Height (feet) | Crown (feet) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash, Black | Fraxinus nigra | Montgomery | 110.27 | 100.00 | 57.50 | 224.65 |
| Ash, Blue | Fraxinus quadrangulata | Vigo | 185.00 | 81.00 | 92.50 | 289.13 |
| Ash, Green | Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Vanderburgh | 222.00 | 87.00 | 81.00 | 329.25 |
| Ash, White | Fraxinus americana | Jefferson | 207.70 | 142.00 | 38.80 | 359.40 |
| Aspen, Bigtooth | Populus grandidentata | Marion | 78.00 | 74.00 | 54.00 | 165.50 |
| Aspen, Quaking | Populus tremuloides | - | - | - | - | - |
| Basswood, American Linden | Tilia americana | Floyd | 211.12 | 119.00 | 30.70 | 337.80 |
| Beech, American | Fagus grandifolia | Vanderburgh | 177.60 | 105.00 | 127.00 | 314.35 |
| Birch, River | Betula nigra | Vanderburgh | 205.00 | 73.00 | 68.00 | 295.00 |
| Black Gum | Nyssa sylvatica | St. Joseph | 147.00 | 128.00 | 91.00 | 297.75 |
| Boxelder | Acer negundo | Vanderburgh | 196.00 | 77.00 | 70.00 | 290.5 |
| Buckeye, Ohio | Aesculus glabra | Jefferson | 94.60 | 111.00 | 21.30 | 210.93 |
| Buckeye, Yellow | Aesculus octandra | Clark | 222.00 | 77.00 | 17.50 | 303.38 |
| Butternut | Juglans cinerea | Lawrence | 280.00 | 74.00 | 94.00 | 377.50 |
| Catalpa, Northern | Catalpa speciosa | Vanderburgh | 288.00 | 80.0 | 94.00 | 391.50 |
| Cedar, Eastern Red | Juniperus virginiana | Jackson | 153.00 | 65.00 | 34.00 | 226.50 |
| Cedar, Nothern White | Thuja occidentalis | Porter | 132.30 | 49.00 | 46.00 | 192.80 |
| Cherry, Black | Prunus serotina | Owen | 237.20 | 89.50 | 80.25 | 346.76 |
| Chestnut, American | Castanea dentata | Newton | 120.90 | 76.00 | 58.00 | 211.40 |
| Cottonwood, Eastern | Populus deltoides | St Joseph | 313.50 | 145.00 | 73.00 | 476.75 |
| Cottonwood, Swamp | Populus heterophylla | Jackson | 100.00 | 108.00 | 28.00 | 215.00 |
| Crab, Prairie Crab | Pyrus ioensis | Vigo | 16.50 | 18.50 | 23.00 | 40.75 |
| Cypress, Bald | Taxodium distichum | Vanderburgh | 211.20 | 93.00 | 57.00 | 318.45 |
| Dogwood, Flowering | Cornus florida | Vanderburgh | 86.00 | 36.00 | 57.00 | 136.25 |
| Elm, Red/Slippery | Ulmus rubra | Vanderburgh | 157.00 | 65.00 | 74.00 | 240.50 |
| Elm, White (American) | Ulmus Americana | - | - | - | - | - |
| Elm, Winged | Ulmus alata | - | - | - | - | - |
| Hackberry | Celtus occidentalis | Vigo | 262.00 | 117.00 | 99.50 | 403.88 |
| Hawthorn, Cockspur Thorn | Crataegus crus-galli | Vanderburgh | 39.00 | 29.0 | 22.00 | 73.50 |
| Hawthorne, Downy | Crataegus mollis | Marion | 99.00 | 30.00 | 72.00 | 147.00 |
| Hemlock, Eastern | Tsuga canadensis | Vanderburgh | 104.00 | 84.00 | 52.00 | 201.00 |
| Hickory, Bitternut | Carya cordiformis | Hamilton | 146.50 | 152.00 | 95.00 | 322.25 |
| Hickory, Mockernut | Carya tomentosa | Vanderburgh | 75.00 | 122.00 | 64.00 | 213.00 |
| Hickory, Pale | Carya pallida | Daviess | 81.00 | 92.00 | 35.00 | 181.75 |
| Hickory, Pignut | Carya glabra | Vanderburgh | 82.80 | 115.00 | 160.00 | 237.80 |
| Hickory, Red | Carya ovalis | Vanderburgh | 92.50 | 118.00 | 45.00 | 221.75 |
| Hickory, Shagbark | Carya ovata | Wayne | 168.00 | 116.00 | 17.70 | 288.43 |
| Hickory, Shellbark | Carya laciniosa | Franklin | 156.00 | 114.00 | 25.75 | 276.44 |
| Honeylocust | Gleditsia triacanthos | Starke | 133.00 | 117.00 | 70.00 | 267.50 |
| Hophornbeam, American | Ostrya virginiana | Marion | 36.00 | 54.00 | 69.00 | 107.25 |
| Hornbeam, American | Carpinus caroliniana | Marion | 144.70 | 57.00 | 117.00 | 230.95 |
| Kentucky Coffee Tree | Gymnocladus dioicus | St. Joseph | 135.00 | 148.00 | 71.20 | 300.80 |
| Locust, Black | Robinia pseudoacacia | Vigo | 180.00 | 83.00 | 91.25 | 285.81 |
| Magnolia – Cucumber Tree | Magnolia acuminate | Fayette | 214.80 | 70.00 | 10.80 | 287.50 |
| Magnolia - Umbrella Magnolia | Magnolia tripetala | - | - | - | - | - |
| Maple, Black | Acer nigrum | Vanderburgh | 106.00 | 72.00 | 45.5 | 189.38 |
| Maple, Red | Acer rubrum | Vanderburgh | 216.00 | 74.00 | 73 | 308.25 |
| Maple, Silver | Acer saccharinum | Lawrence | 361.00 | 103.00 | 106 | 490.50 |
| Maple, Sugar | Acer saccharum | Owen | 210.50 | 87.50 | 98.50 | 322.63 |
| Mulberry, Red | Morus rubra | Vanderburgh | 48.00 | 20.00 | 33.0 | 76.25 |
| Oak, Black | Quercus velutina | Vigo | 231.00 | 94.00 | 123.00 | 355.75 |
| Oak, Blackjack | Quercus marilandica | Vanderburgh | 96.00 | 118.00 | 224.00 | 270.00 |
| Oak, Bur | Quercus macrocarpa | Posey | 297.00 | 116.00 | 111.00 | 440.75 |
| Oak, Cherrybark | Quercus pagoda | Vanderburgh | 253.00 | 118.00 | 109.00 | 398.25 |
| Oak, Chestnut | Quercus prinus | - | - | - | - | - |
| Oak, Chinquapin | Quercus Muehlenbergii | Vanderburgh | 172.00 | 118.0 | 113.00 | 318.25 |
| Oak, Northern Pin | Quercus ellipsoidalis | Porter | 175.80 | 79.00 | 96.50 | 278.93 |
| Oak, Northern Red | Quercus rubra | Gibson | 223.00 | 120.00 | 105.00 | 369.25 |
| Oak, Overcup | Quercus lyrata | Vanderburgh | 193.00 | 61.00 | 205.00 | 305.25 |
| Oak, Pin | Quercus palustris | Greene | 306.00 | 112.00 | 97.00 | 442.25 |
| Oak, Post | Quercus stellata | Vanderburgh | 196.00 | 88.00 | 50.00 | 296.50 |
| Oak, Scarlet | Quercus coccinea | Washington | 224.00 | 92.00 | 92.00 | 339.00 |
| Oak, Shingle | Quercus imbricaria | - | - | - | - | - |
| Oak, Shumard | Quercus shumardii | Jennings | 239.00 | 128.00 | 82.00 | 387.50 |
| Oak, Southern Red | Quercus falcata | Vanderburgh | 212.50 | 90.00 | 88.00 | 324.50 |
| Oak, Swamp Chestnut | Quercus michauxii | Jennings | 318.00 | 95.00 | 118.00 | 442.50 |
| Oak, Swamp White | Quercus bicolor | Hancock | 196.00 | 82.00 | 103.00 | 303.75 |
| Oak, White | Quercus alba | Perry | 254.03 | 110.00 | 121.00 | 394.28 |
| Paw-paw | Asimina triloba | Starke | 20.40 | 54.00 | 24.00 | 80.40 |
| Pecan | Carya Illinoensis | Vanderburgh | 198.00 | 94.0 | 94.00 | 315.50 |
| Persimmon, American | Diospyros virginiana | Vanderburgh | 105.60 | 60.0 | 25.50 | 171.98 |
| Pine, Jack | Pinus banksiana | Tippecanoe | 52.70 | 38.00 | 30.00 | 98.20 |
| Pine, Virginia | Pinus virginiana | Floyd | 78.50 | 119.30 | 19.40 | 202.65 |
| Pine, White | Pinus strobus | Brown | 183.60 | 107.00 | 128.00 | 322.60 |
| Plum, American | Prunus Americana | Vigo | 43.00 | 27.00 | 29.50 | 77.38 |
| Plum, Canada | Prunus nigra | Owen | 82.50 | 58.00 | 35.50 | 149.38 |
| Redbud | Cercis canadensis | - | - | - | - | - |
| Sassafras | Sassafras albidum | Posey | 183.00 | 72.00 | 64.00 | 271.00 |
| Serviceberry | Amelanchier laevis | Vanderburgh | 26.00 | 49.00 | 30.00 | 82.50 |
| Sourwood | Oxydendrum arboretum | Perry | 59.10 | 63.00 | 33.90 | 130.58 |
| Sweet Gum | Liquidambar styraciflua | Vanderburgh | 164.00 | 137.00 | 90.00 | 323.50 |
| Sycamore | Platanus occidentalis | Johnson | 320.00 | 115.00 | 169.00 | 477.25 |
| Tamarack | Larix laricina | Vigo | 105.00 | 75.50 | 42.00 | 191.00 |
| Tulip Tree | Liriodendron tulipifera | Porter | 228.30 | 148.00 | 103.50 | 402.18 |
| Walnut, Black | Juglans nigra | Elkhart | 233.00 | 91.00 | 93.00 | 347.25 |
| Waterlocust | Gleditsia aquatica | Vanderburgh | 27.50 | 55.00 | 31.00 | 90.25 |
| Willow, Black | Salix nigra | Vanderburgh | 119.00 | 75.00 | 83.0 0 | 214.75 |
