2022 Heritage Oak Project

CARPC, in collaboration with the UW State Cartography Office, the Dane County Tree Board, and the Dane County Tree Canopy Working Group, has begun work on the 2022 Heritage Oak Project. Members of the public are invited to contribute to this countywide inventory of heritage oaks.

Heritage oak trees are estimated to be at least 200 years old, meaning they have been a part of our landscape since before Wisconsin became a state. Such trees provide invaluable ecosystem and public services. To be considered a heritage oak, white or bur oaks must have a trunk circumference of at least 10 feet, as measured at 4.5 feet above ground level. Pin, black, and red oaks need a trunk circumference of 11 feet. 

Heritage Oak Project trees were originally inventoried in 1976 and subsequently in 2001 by the Dane County Tree Board. The 2022 inventory will determine how many of the original existing heritage trees are still present and bring increased awareness to the remaining trees.

This collaborative project requests assistance from the public to identify additional trees and confirm the existing trees included in the past inventory. The 2022 inventory is designed to allow anyone from the public to add photos and measurements of an existing heritage tree or add a new heritage tree to the inventory. Permission to measure and access a tree on private property is of course required.

For more information on the project, please contact mattn@capitalarearpc.org.