IDNR Report
A swamp chestnut oak tree in Jennings County has been recognized as the largest of the species in the country by the National Champion Tree program, with a height of 95 feet, a circumference of 318 inches, and a canopy spread of 118 feet.
The record swamp chestnut oak is on the family farm owned by Richard and Kris Schepman outside of Crothersville. Today, Governor Mike Braun and Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) leaders presented the Schepmans with a certificate recognizing their family’s stewardship of this impressive tree.
“Over the last century, Indiana’s forested land has substantially grown as a result of Hoosiers’ conservation work and responsible stewardship,” said Governor Braun. “The Schepman family and private landowners across the state deserve high praise for their commitment to growing healthy trees like this giant in Jennings County, which I hope continues to stand tall for generations of future Hoosiers to enjoy.”
The DNR Division of Forestry, which maintains a list of Indiana’s largest known tree of each of the state’s native species, notified the national program of the tree, and its record score of 442.5, which is the tree’s height (feet), circumference (inches), and canopy spread (feet, multiplied by 0.25) added together.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the swamp chestnut oak is native to “the Atlantic Coastal Plain from New Jersey and extreme eastern Pennsylvania, south to north Florida, and west to east Texas; it is found north in the Mississippi River Valley to extreme southeast Oklahoma, Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, and locally to southeast Kentucky and eastern Tennessee.”
The tree is on private property, so it is not available for public viewing.
Indiana’s current state champion trees, which are updated when a notification of a larger tree is received, are posted at on.IN.gov/big-tree, where you can also learn how to measure trees and enter those you think may qualify.