Where Can You Find Minnesota’s Biggest Tree? The Answer May Surprise You
Minnesota may be the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, but it's also home to some of the most trees in the United States. According to the National Forest Service, there are over 125 million trees spread out throughout the state.
If you're taking a stroll through a Minnesota forest, you're likely to spot Cedar, Pine, Spruce, and Northern Red Oak trees. However, the biggest tree in the entire state belongs to none of those species, but rather from a branch (no pun intended) of the family. And where it's located will also surprise you.
Minnesota's Largest Tree
Towering over all other competitors is the tree pictured above. Just how tall and what species is it? Here's what the website, Rock Solid Minnesota has to say:
Based on this point system, the largest tree in Minnesota is the Eastern Cottonwood which has a total point value of 527.5. (Circumference: 394″, Height: 106′, Crown spread: 110′). It is located in Chippewa County near Watson.
-Rock Solid Minnesota Website
Even in the Redwood National Forest, a tree standing at over 100 feet tall would be pretty impressive.
So, where can you find this tree? At first guess, you might think somewhere up north, maybe near the boundary waters or in the heavily forested northwest part of the state, but both of those guesses would be wrong.
This Cottonwood giant, also known as a black willow, can be found along the St. Croix River.
To see the tree up close, check out the YouTube video below.
Story Sources: National Forest Service, Rock Solid Minnesota Website
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Gallery Credit: Ben Davis