Who doesn't love a big, beautiful tree? Those venerable neighbors who have inhabited our land for dozens, if not hundreds, of years, eluding the inexorable advance of both plow and bulldozer. Do you ever look at a massive trunk topped by a beautiful spreading crown and think, "That must be the biggest tree in the state!"?
Good news! Iowa has a "Big Tree" program that documents state champions of different species. What makes a champion? Trees are measured using three dimensions: height, crown spread, and trunk circumference. Those dimensions go into a formula that assigns a points value to the tree. The trees that have been documented with the highest point totals in each species can be found in a list published by the DNR. Although the program is technically under the aegis of the DNR, it relies on volunteers to do the heavy lifting, particularly one amazing and dedicated volunteer by the name of Mark Rouw.
Iowa City boasts a number of champion trees, including a Hophornbeam in Hickory Hill Park, as well as several specimens on the University of Iowa campus featuring the state champion Black Walnut on the Pentacrest. (If you enjoy trees, be sure to explore the UI Campus Arboretum and its tree inventory map.)
The Sycamore Greenway doesn't have a lot of big trees (yet...check back in a few decades!). Like much of the state, it is a developed or constructed area and thus very "young" in terms of tree life. When I went in search of the champions of one of my favorites, the Bald Cypress, I discovered a treasure of big trees in an old river town just a day trip away.
Burlington, Iowa, is famous for Snake Alley, its crazy twisting brick road. But it also home of many champion trees, a significant number of which have escaped that plow and bulldozer by virtue of making their homes in a venerable cemetery and a spectacular city park, both of which were established well over a century ago. I set out, with much enthusiasm and very little plan, to visit some of those arboreal elders.
Pulling into Aspen Grove Cemetery and confronted with a spider web of narrow, winding roads and paths, that lack of plan was immediately apparent. My target was the #2 state champion Bald Cypress, the only one of its kind on the list with a location provided (the others apparently on private property). It was 84 feet high with a trunk circumference of around 11.5 feet.* How hard could it be to find a beautiful Bald Cypress that size?
Well.
First off, the cemetery itself is spectacular. Established in 1843, three years before Iowa became a state, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the final resting place of Aldo Leopold as well as many U.S. Representatives from the late 19th century. It also sprawls over 133 acres as the paths meander up and down hills, criss-crossing with named roads that would perhaps be helpful to someone who had an idea of where they were going.
Alas, under the "Location of Tree" column on the Big Trees spreadsheet, it said only "Low ground, Aspen Grove Cem. Burlington, Des Moines Co." So after turning in the direction that seemed headed downhill every time I reached an intersection, unsure of whether I had wandered into an access road or somewhere else I wasn't supposed to be and attempting to behave in a respectful manner...there it was! Was it?
To be perfectly honest...I don't know. It was a big, beautiful Bald Cypress and it seemed to be nestled in a sheltered depression, near a curious deep canal that lent an eerie and ancient atmosphere with the low, misty morning chill in the air.
There on consecrated ground, with this living thing that had stood sentinel for decades as the town grew and faded and individual human lives came into and passed out of this earth...can an experience be mildly transcendent?
But alas, my schedule did not include unlimited hours to commune with a tree, no matter how enthralling. The cemetery is home to other champions, including a Mockernut Hickory, Flowering Dogwood, and White Ash. But time being limited, I had to make my way to Burlington's other refuge for amazing trees: Crapo Park.
To be continued....
Read more about Iowa's Big Trees:
- https://www.southeastiowaunion.com/environment-nature/iowas-big-trees-valuable-for-education-vulnerable-to-vandalism/
- https://www.inhf.org/blog/blog/chasing-champions/
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