The Wye Oak and Other Notable Trees of Talbot County by James Dawson Talbot County has had more than its fair share of great trees. Fred Besley’s booklet Big Tree Champions of Maryland, published by the Maryland Forestry Association and the State Department of Forests and Trees in 1956, was a list of the largest trees of the principle species in the state. Of the 155 trees listed from the 64 species, 23 were in
Talbot County. Besley was the State Forester from 1906 to 1942, and he knew his trees. As Besley wrote, “Trees are the outstanding feature of the Maryland landscape, and are among the largest and oldest of living things. Trees in excess of 400 years old have been reported in the state.” Big tree champions might be
The Wye Oak was the official state tree of Maryland and the largest white oak tree in the United States. 61