Seen any neat trees lately?
Anyone who has is encouraged to enter it in the NeighbourWoods Great Heritage Tree Hunt now underway until Aug. 31.
The contest is to find a tree that is exceptionally tall, or has remarkable girth, or even one that has a special story that speaks to the area’s past.
NeighbourWoods officials say heritage trees are community treasures, landmarks, and they can increase the value of property in a neighbourhood. The contest is to help the group identify heritage trees inside the Centre Wellington Township boundaries.
Organizers ask that people state if they have measured in feet or metres. For girth, people should measure the distance around the tree with a string or tape measure at chest height – about 4.5 feet off the ground.
To measure height, there is a simple way to calculate. Organizers suggest that, with the back to the tree, stand with legs shoulder-width apart. Bend over and look through your legs. Move until you can just see the top of the tree through your legs. Measure the distance from there to the base of the tree.
Judging of the biggest girth and tallest tree will be done by NeighbourWoods staff. The deadline to enter is Aug. 31.
For the best story about a tree, judging will be done by Heritage Centre Wellington. For nominated trees on private property, a waiver must be signed by the property owner giving judges the right to enter the property to judge the tree.
People may enter as often as they like, but nominate only one tree per entry. Entry information can be found at www.eloraenvironmentcentre.ca or by calling the centre at 519-846-0841.
The winners will be announced by Centre Wellington Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj on Sept. 7.
