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Iowa’s big trees valuable for education, vulnerable to vandalism
Iowa DNR still seeking information about suspicious fire that killed state champion sycamore in Geode State Park
Iowa’s biggest sycamore tree — a 350-year-old specimen located in Geode State Park in Southeast Iowa — was destroyed by a suspicious fire Feb. 18.
A giant-of-a-tree at 107 feet tall with a trunk circumference of 23 feet, the sycamore is on a list of more than 300 of the state’s largest trees.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is seeking tips from the public about how the fire started. (Call Geode Park Ranger Andrew Kuckler with tips at 319-392-4601.) The incident illustrates the challenge of safeguarding Iowa’s big trees and letting visitors see, touch and experience them.
The Gazette talked with Emma Hanigan, the Iowa DNR’s urban and community forestry coordinator, about the Geode sycamore and others on Iowa’s big tree list.
10 things to know about Iowa’s state champion trees
1. Polk County has more trees on Iowa’s 2021 big tree list than any other county. Des Moines County is a close second. The list includes state champions and runners-up of each variety.
2. Linn County, which has 13 trees on the 2021 list, lost several champs, including a Ponderosa pine in Ellis Park, in the 2020 derecho.
3. Johnson County has 14 of the biggest trees, including the state champion black walnut on the University of Iowa Pentacrest lawn. Nearby is a horse chestnut sapling, planted in 2022, that grew from one Anne Frank saw out of her window in Amsterdam while in hiding from the Nazis.
4. Iowa’s big tree list includes trees on public and private land, although the Iowa DNR does not identify exact locations of trees on private property. Nominate a tree here.
5. Mark Rouw, of Des Moines, has nominated about two-thirds of the trees on the big tree list. He travels around the state measuring trees based on their height, trunk circumference at chest height and canopy spread.
6. Iowa’s biggest trees are Eastern cottonwoods, trees with furrowed bark that often grow in river bottoms.
7. Iowa’s tallest trees are Eastern white pines, which can grow more than 140 feet tall.
8. Western Iowa doesn’t have as many of the state’s biggest trees, in part because of heavy agriculture in this area. But there are some, including two Ponderosa pines in the Atlantic cemetery.
9. Some species of trees don’t grow very tall or Iowa isn’t their best habitat. A paperbark maple on the Iowa State University campus is a state champion even though it’s only 23 feet tall.
10. Dozens of state champion trees are located on Iowa’s college campuses, where they may be part of educational programming or campus tours. A state champion ginkgo on the Cornell College campus in Mount Vernon lost about half its body in the derecho. This may have bumped it down in the big tree rankings, but the tree still is standing.
Q: Do you think vandals seek out big or well-known trees?
A: Nationally, that has happened. We don't know the details of what happened in Geode State Park, so we can't really comment on that particular tree, but it is something that does happen. Sometimes it can also be people just not knowing the value of that tree too. It can go both ways.
Q: How is the Geode sycamore unique in its structure?
A: There already was a hollow cavity. Which, one, makes it really cool to explore. But also, I can see how that could be an area where other activities could be happening.
Q: What is the public value of a state champion tree, like the one in Geode State Park?
A: This tree was an asset to Iowans because it was on state land. That changes the value of the tree because it can be used as recreation, educational use — all these different things that provide value beyond just being the largest.
Q: A big tree like this probably hosts a lot of wildlife. What kinds?
A: The American sycamore is a native tree. It's a host to a lot of different wildlife species. The biggest benefit of sycamore are birds, of course. The goldfinch is one of those species this tree is important to, along with 42 types of butterflies and moths. It's an important wildlife-value tree.
Q: Why does Iowa keep a list of the biggest trees of each type?
A: The value of keeping the biggest record is it has historic value. We can look back at many places in Iowa, at past champions no longer there, and estimate their age and growing conditions. Being on state land, we can use these trees as educational opportunities. That can't even be measured. It's one of our biggest goals to make sure the next generation has access to these great relics and are the next stewards of the land.
Q: How are trees ranked?
A: Ultimately the trees get a score. It’s not just it’s height and diameter and width. But there are some other things to verify, that it’s not a multi-stemmed tree where you’re measuring.
Q: About two-thirds of Iowa’s big trees — including the Geode sycamore — have been identified and measured by Mark Rouw, a prominent big tree specialist. How would you describe his contribution?
A: He is one of our best volunteers. His knowledge of trees and the history of Iowa's trees is so fascinating. He's an amazing person.
Q: The Iowa DNR is in the process of digitizing the big tree list, right?
A: We're building a site right now so people can go discover different public trees. Of course, we're doing that with caution because we know vandalism is something that does happen to our best specimens. It's been a work in progress to get all the photos. When we go digital, it won't be a listing. It will be a full interactive map. We hope we can share the importance of these big trees.
Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com
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