While wandering the property one afternoon, we stumbled upon a Hickory tree unlike any other we had seen there. At first glance it blended quietly into the forest, but as we walked closer and finally stood beneath its canopy, we knew this one was special. There was a presence about it—steady, enduring, almost as if it had been waiting for us to notice it.

The land had been logged several times that we knew of, and yet somehow this giant had survived. That in itself felt extraordinary. With a bit of curiosity (and excitement), we studied further to discover it was a Pignut Hickory, an important species native to our area.

Something about its size and strength made us wonder how it compared to others of its kind. That curiosity led us to the Maryland Big Tree Program, a group of volunteers dedicated to seeking out and celebrating the state’s largest trees. Browsing their records, we realized our tree might be a true contender.

Following the program’s measurement guidelines, we carefully recorded its height, circumference, and spread. To our amazement, the numbers placed it among the top rankings of Pignut Hickories in all of Maryland. When the volunteers later came to verify, they confirmed what we had discovered.

A few weeks later, it became official: our tree was recognized as the largest Pignut Hickory in our county!. Standing beneath it now, we can’t help but feel a quiet sense of gratitude—grateful that it endured when so many others were lost, and grateful that it chose our patch of forest to keep telling its story.