A professor's search for trees for Stockton University's maple syrup project led to the discovery of the state's largest champion tree.
Matthew Olson, assistant professor of Environmental Science at Stockton, stumbled upon the giant post oak tree in Wharton State Forest's Batsto Village while looking for red maple trees with syrup-tapping potential, according to a news release from the university.
Olsen returned with students in dendrology, a course that explores the anatomy, physiology, and ecology of trees. Students identify species by looking at leaves, bark, twigs, buds, and fruit.
The tree is the largest post oak in Burlington County and the largest in the state out of two listed, according to a letter from Joseph Bennett, a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection assistant regional forester.
"Trees of this size are mega resources and perform 600 times the environmental benefits of typical trees," Bennett wrote.
The champion tree measures 64 feet high, 11 feet 3 inches at its circumference, and has a crown spread of 80 feet, which gives it 219 points using the American Forests national system.
"My first impression of the tree was that it was gigantic," student Forrest Jennings said. "I knew it must have been there for a really long time since it was so large, and I was pretty excited to find out if it was going to be a state champ."
The discovery joins the list of more than 500 total champion trees in the state with 214 publicly visible. The New Jersey Forest Service has been managing the register of big trees since the 1930s.
