The Story Behind: The Heritage Tree Program

Big trees and lush greenery are plentiful in Westerville. But, have you seen a tree that was so big that you couldn’t get your arms around it and stood so tall that it seemed to touch the sky? That could be a Heritage Tree and may very well be documented for size and height as part of Westerville’s Heritage Tree Program.

The program, conducted by the Westerville Parks and Recreation Department under the Division of Urban Forestry, began in 1976 in conjunction with the American Forests National Register of Big Trees*, an organization that documents large trees across the United States. Trees across the City are tracked in support of the City’s 46-yearlong recognition as a Tree City USA. Westerville Parks and Recreation Arborist Adam Williams says that the object of the program is to identify and assist in the preservation of Westerville’s largest trees while educating the community on the importance of protecting our old and historic trees.

“Westerville has been a City since the 1800s so we would expect to have some very large trees,” said Williams. “There are approximately 62 trees ranging in age from 60 to 350 years currently being tracked.”

To be considered for the program, the tree must be the largest of its species within the City limits and must be a species native to the United States or introduced to this country more than 100 years ago. The largest individual tree of each species will be identified as a Heritage Tree.

Residents are encouraged to nominate a tree for the Heritage Tree program by visiting www.westerville.org/urbanforestry.

*American Forests is a conservation organization that develops tools and conducts scientific research to create partnerships in cities and forest landscapes and build movements that inspire change related to climate change and social equity.