16 newfound big trees could be state champion

The biggest trees in Michigan are still being discovered.

Sixteen new state champion tree contenders were submitted to the recent Michigan Big Tree Hunt , which goes to show that there are still unknown big trees across the state’s 20 million acres of forestland – or in your own backyard.

“There’s still a long way to go in raising awareness of big trees and getting people’s attention,” said Lindsay Lights, Big Tree Hunt chair.

ReLeaf Michigan, which runs the hunt, will submit those 16 possible champions to the Michigan Big Tree Program for possible inclusion on its big tree register, which includes up to 15 impressive specimens of each species listed.

Here’s a list of the trees to be considered:

American basswood with girth of 245.5 inches in Calhoun County

Black cherry with gi