State recognizes Muhlenberg tree as a champion

A group of soccer fields between two neighborhoods in western Muhlenberg Township have produced a champion.

But this champion has nothing to do with soccer. In fact, it's about 95 feet tall and was standing in place decades before the fields were even there.

The pignut hickory tree that towers along the Laurel Run Greenway - a stretch of township recreation land connecting Laurel Run and Reading Crest parks - has been named a "champion tree" by the Pennsylvania Forestry Association.

The association maintains a database of the state's largest trees, which are ranked by a point system that takes into account height, spread and trunk circumference.

The tree in Muhlenberg, between the dead ends of Beach Street and Rothermel Boulevard, is Pennsylvania's highest-ranked tree of the Carya genus, or hickory and pecan species.

"It's a beautiful tree," said Jim Smoker, the association's champion tree tender for Berks County.

After a relative visiting a local resident marveled at the tree's size this summer, the relative contacted Smoker about measuring it. Smoker often gets calls about trees, which turn out to not be that big. But after one look at this tree, Smoker said, he knew this wasn't one of those times.

The tree registered a 306 on the forestry association's point system. The previous champion pignut hickory, in Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia, was a 278.

"You very seldom find one that's over 300 points," Smoker said.

Three other trees in Berks County also are named the largest of their kind in Pennsylvania: A 187-point European alder in Cumru Township, a 186-point Chinese toon in South Heidelberg Township and an 89-point Japanese torreya in Spring Township.

Smoker said the Muhlenberg tree was likely able to grow as much as it did because it's in a field rather than a forest.

"This had no competition," he said. "It just took off apparently."

Neal D. McNutt, Muhlenberg parks director, said he hopes the recognition will bring more people to the park to see the tree.

"It's exciting for the township to have a champion anything," he said.

McNutt said Muhlenberg is looking into finding a way to put a plaque on the tree to alert people to its status.

And that's really the logic behind the champion-tree program, Smoker said. If more people recognize large trees, there will be more interest in keeping them around.

"It's basically to make people aware of trees and help preserve them," he said.

Contact Liam Migdail-Smith: 610-371-5022 or

(Image by: Reading Eagle: Bill Uhrich)