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31 Minnesota's monster trees and those who hunt them They’re abundant and where you’d least expect them; hunters wanted. By Tori J. McCormick MAY 25, 2015 — 8:55PM Richard Tsong-Taatarii rtsong-taatarii@startribune.com Big-tree hunter Riley Smith tracked down the state's biggest butternut tree in a Roseville park. Riley Smith is a big-tree hunter. A documenter of what he calls the silent witnesses of history. The Plymouth college student will log hundreds of miles this summer on foot, in a canoe and behind the wheel, trying to give voice to the state’s largest native tree species. His summer travels could take Smith — armed with two range finders, a 100-foot tape measure, a GPS and assorted other gear — to a green space near a suburban strip mall or the remote reaches of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. His goal: hunt, find and measure a record big tree and have it placed on the state’s Big Tree Registry. “I’ve always been fascinated by trees. They live in one place, sometimes for centuries. They watch as generation after generation pass by and as communities grow and change around them,” said Smith, 18, an urban forestry major at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. “That intrigues me. Being a big- tree hunter allows me to be a part of Minnesota’s evolving natural history. That intrigues me, too.” This month, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources relaunched its Big Tree Registry program. The registry began in 1962. It was mothballed two years ago, owing to a lack of resources. “We just didn’t have the staff to administer the program and not enough foresters to verify measurements,” said Jennifer Teegarden, DNR forestry outreach specialist. “We now have a staff member to administer the program and an increase in the division of forestry’s general funds allowed us to hire more foresters.” The program’s overriding goal, Teegarden said, is to enlist as many Riley Smiths as possible to document the state’s biggest trees. Her hope is the emphasis will encourage a greater appreciation for trees and their environment. Minnesota has 52 native tree species scattered across the state. A “big tree” nominee is judged on a scoring formula of three measurements: circumference, height and crown spread. An application must be filled out to nominate a tree for the registry; a DNR forester verifies nominees.