OXFORD — The Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District are holding the 2012 Oxford County Big Tree Contest. Beginning June 15 and continuing through the summer, OCSWCD is seeking help to find the biggest native trees in the county. Results will be sent to the Maine Forest Service to see if Oxford County can beat any of the state records. In addition, a database of these trees will be completed for future use and reference.

Oxford County currently holds the record for eight different species, but not all of them are native. Non-native and invasive trees are a threat to the balance of our ecosystem.

Some trees on the list have special significance. The pitch pine, which most of us remember as being plentiful, has diminished in numbers partly due to the fact that it uses fire to reproduce; the American Sycamore no longer has any known native populations in the state although it historically grew in Southern Maine; and most of the American Chestnut trees have been destroyed by the chestnut blight fungus.

With this in mind, the contest is focused on finding the 14 native conifers (evergreens) and the 52 native broadleaf (leafy) varieties of trees found in Maine. A list of these and an entry form may be obtained at www.oxfordswcd.net, by stopping in at the office on 17 Olson Road, South Paris or by calling Jean Federico at 743-5789, ext. 111. Tree guides will be available to help in the search for big trees; landowner permission is required to go onto land and to nominate a tree on that land.

In addition to the Big Tree Contest, OCSWCD is asking anyone who may know of the location of a Black Oxford apple tree, thought to have originated in the area, to let them know of its location. These will then be mapped and recorded for historical purposes.

Monthly newsletters and quizzes will be available for those who would like to sign up to receive them by email.

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