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Especially on searing summer days, it feels like we’ve got it made in the shade beneath Charlotte’s vast tree canopy.
“We have state champions and really spectacular trees all over Charlotte,” said Heather Brent, an urban forest educator for the nonprofit TreesCharlotte.
The canopy covers 47 percent of Charlotte and is a distinct feature of the Queen City aka The City of Trees. According to TreesCharlotte, 500,000 trees need to be planted here by 2050 to increase the tree canopy from 47 to their goal of 50 percent.
A big part of that equation includes preserving the landmark trees with generations of history.
“It’s good for birds, animals, it provides shade for people,” says volunteer Brett Dupree. “I’m kind of a tree geek, so I look for these trees all over the county.”
Like-minded “tree geeks” don’t want to lose track of an overlooked part of the city’s roots.
“We came out today to do some measurements of this tree,” he said earlier this summer, joined by TreesCharlotte staffers in north Charlotte with tape measures.
That’s where a bur oak was first planted in 1939 on the former Dotger family farm. For the past 30 years, it has towered over a Denny’s parking lot on a preserved patch of land.
“It’s a striking tree,” Dupree says.
“The tree’s still doing well,” said Brent. “So, it’s a testament to what a tree protection zone can do to save a tree.”
“This was a piece of farmland,” Dupree told Queen City News. “This tree used to have a feeding trough and a water trough for the cattle under it. So, it provided shade for the cattle.”
The bur oak was designated as a Treasure Tree. It’s more than 80 feet tall with a circumference of 16 feet and a crown spread of some 120 feet.
“This tree was added to the state registry of state champions a couple of years ago, so we’re just coming back out to check the health,” Dupree explained.
Dupree and TreesCharlotte revived the Treasure Trees Program, which up until 2000 identified some 120 specimens in Mecklenburg County until the volunteer-driven effort faded out.
Most on the original list are no longer recognized, either because the trees died or because of changing standards.
The rejuvenated program is now adding more Treasure Trees.
One prime example is a giant 92-foot yellow poplar at the Duke Mansion in Myers Park. Also known as Velva’s Tree, it’s the overall champion among Treasure Trees.
Also at Duke Mansion, there’s another prominent plant dubbed a Treasure Tree. It’s an Eastern red cedar.
We also drove to see another one on the list. It’s a yellow poplar located at Wing Haven Garden and Bird Sanctuary, also in Myers Park.
“Amongst these everyday urban trees [we commonly see] are these giants that should be highlighted,” Brent says.
Each Treasure Tree is tagged and has a QR code, so visitors can find out more about them on their smartphones.
Mara Lind, the TreesCharlotte development and marketing coordinator, says raising awareness of the awesome assets is like an introduction.
“You can’t love what you don’t know,” says Lind.“This program and others like it are really important to showcase these trees.”
They keep track of everything from their height to their health to ensure that the trees like the bur oak in north Charlotte give cover to generations ahead.
“When you see this tree, it just looks different from all the other trees around here,” Dupree said.
“We really want to protect them, we want people to notice them so that they don’t just cut them down because they want to develop something in its place,” says Brent.
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