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Community Corner

State Champion Tree Found in Rocks State Park

A Forest Hill resident found Harford County's 16th state champion tree.

Harford might be coming for you, Montgomery and Prince George’s County. The 16th state champion tree—a bigtooth aspen in Rocks State Park—was discovered by Dan Wilson on Sept. 17, bringing his home county closer to the state leaders.

Montgomery County has 36 state champions and Prince George’s County 33.

The tree Wilson found is 121 feet tall, second nationwide only to a 123-foot bigtooth aspen in Minnesota. It's average crown spread is 45.5 feet and it has a circumference of six feet, five inches. It is on the "white" trail, about 100 yards from Chrome Hill Road.

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“I have hopes and aspirations for Harford to diminish this shortfall over the next couple years,” Wilson wrote in an email to Patch. “It will be a tough challenge though because Montgomery and PG county have certain advantages that Harford does not have.”

Local residents who think they have a large tree on their property and would like it examined without being damaged can email Wilson at bountreehunter@gmail.com.

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"I was just doing some hiking that Saturday and stumbled upon by noticing its leaves on the ground," wrote Wilson, who measured the tree three days after he initially found it. "I would have walked right by it had it not been for the time of year with its leaves falling."

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