Summit Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is sponsoring an annual Big Tree Contest for 2024. The chosen tree species is the American sycamore! Participants will use the attached form to submit a nomination for a sycamore they believe might be the largest in Summit County. Summit SWCD staff will measure the trees to determine the winner. In addition to size information, Summit SWCD will look at the ability of the tree to capture stormwater. Trees are wonderful reservoirs for storing rainwater. For example: One American sycamore with a dbh (diameter at breast height) of 36 inches can collect 119,240 gallons of rainfall over 20 years. Imagine how much stormwater can be absorbed over the lifetime of that tree!
Official Rules
2024’s tree will be the American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis.
The tree nominated must be located in Summit County.
A tree may be nominated only once. The first nomination received will be entered in the contest.
The tree must be on private lands ONLY. No public submissions will be accepted.
The tree does not have to be on the property of the nominator; however, permission of the landowner must be obtained prior to nomination.
The nomination form must be submitted to the SWCD office by August 1, 2024.
Summit SWCD staff along with a community worker will measure all nominated trees and provide the storm water runoff reduction capability of the tree using the website: http://www.treebenefits.com/calculator/.
The decision of the District will be final.
If you would like to nominate a tree, click the link below for the Official Rules and Nomination Form.
Official Rules and Nomination Form