Alysa Dew submitted an oak in the 14th biennial Michigan Big Tree hunt contest – and won the Monroe County category.
A young girl has been credited with finding the largest tree in Monroe County — an oak in the City of Monroe.
Alysa Dew submitted the 222-inch oak in the 14th biennial Michigan Big Tree hunt contest, an event that awards participants for identifying the biggest trees in the state. Sponsored by ReLeaf Michigan, a non-profit tree planting and education organization, contestants had from spring 2018 through fall to find their trees.
Alyssa’s entry was among more than 700 trees submitted from contestants throughout the state, including 80 of Michigan’s 83 counties. The winning entries were verified by on-site professional arborists, foresters from tree services, consulting firms and government agencies throughout the state.
Certificates and prizes were awarded Nov. 23 for the largest tree submitted from each county, for the overall largest tree in different age groups and for new potential state champion trees.
A ceremony, attended by nearly 100 throughout the state, was held at the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland.
“The interactions were priceless,” said Melinda Jones, executive director of ReLeaf Michigan. ’It’s moments like this that remind us why we have such a passion for what we do.”
Jones recounted some of her favorite attendees, including a 90-year-old whose daughter said that the winning tree “made his year.” There also was a very young girl, Jones added, who, when receiving her award, exclaimed, “That’s me!” when she saw the picture of her and her big tree on the projector screen.
For article, click below:
Source: Girl discovers 222-inch oak tree in Monroe – News – Monroe News – Monroe, Michigan – Monroe, MI
