DIXFIELD – An all-points bulletin for significant trees has just been issued by the town’s code enforcement officer, Jay Bernard.

He doesn’t want to cut them down.

Rather, he wants to measure the big ones for possible inclusion in Maine’s Register of Big Trees.

“I’m looking for any species,” Bernard said Friday. “We had some real close calls with a red oak. We came really close, but it didn’t make it.”

The trees must be measured by circumference, vertical height and average crown spread.

The only big tree that he is aware of is a red pine in Weld that was submitted in 1983 by Malcolm Gill.

When it was last measured in 1988, the tree had a circumference of 88 inches, stood 96 feet tall, and had a 36-foot-wide crown spread.

Bernard is also searching for trees of historic importance, trees that are much beloved, or of legendary stature to nominate them for the National Register of Historic Trees.

Knowing that 80 percent of Maine is forested land, Bernard, a Maine Forest ranger, believes that somewhere in town there must be one or more big, beloved, historic or legendarily significant trees.

“There’s gonna be those little golden nuggets in someone’s backyard that haven’t been touched in 100 years,” Bernard said Friday.

Desired trees must be located within the boundaries of the town of Dixfield and be of historical significance or personal family legend.

Stop by the Dixfield town office for a registration form and measuring instructions or call 562-8151 for further information.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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