“BOYS, THAT not what we mean when we say measure the circumference of a tree!” (Marie Craft Photo)
MELROSE — Everyone can participate in The Big Tree Hunt, but you may need some tools. We suggest a tape measure, a yardstick, a smartphone, and some Apps on your phone to help identify your tree species, and to help determine its height.
You can enter one tree or several trees as your candidates. Once you find them, you will need to fill out “The Tree Capture Form” which is on the Melrose Tree Project (MTP) website: https://melrosetreeproject.org/big-tree-hunt/ and submit it. (At this time, all entries must be entered electronically.)
The Big Tree Hunt runs from May 18 – June 1, 2024. At the end of the scavenger hunt, a set of verifiers will survey the top three trees by species to confirm the species, height, and circumference. The awards ceremony is planned for Saturday, June 8, with rain date for Sunday, June 9.
Apps that may be useful to identify the species of tree are PlantNet, VTree, LeafSnap and Seek. For the tree height we suggest using the app: Arboreal -Tree (from Apple Store or Google Play) or solving the trigonometry equation: height of the tree H = (TanA)( D) where A is the angle of the tree and D is the distance to the tree. Many directions can be found on the internet.
You will also need to take a photo of your tree — the whole tree, the bark, a leaf, and if available, a flower or fruit — and submit them with your application. All of this information will be collected to create a catalogue of the beautiful trees of Melrose.
