Reporting a Chestnut
Reporting Instructions and Definitions
- The Surveyor is the individual filling out this form
- The Landowner is the individual or organization whose permission is required to access the property
- Tree Name / ID – does this have a commonly used name or been included in past surveys? Trees surveyed by the University of Guelph will have a metal tag with that tree’s ID number wired into the ground at their base.
- Site Address refers to the address of the property where the tree is located.
- BH = Breast height, which is 1.37m (4.5 ft.) up from ground level. Diameter should be reported for the largest stem. Alternately, circumference is measured instead of diameter. Clearly note on the form if circumference is measured instead of diameter
- Presence of chestnut blight is indicated by orange fungal fruiting bodies and can be found anywhere on the tree’s trunk or branches.
- UTM = Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinate system. (Southern Ontario is in Zone 17T)
- GPS – Most North Americans use a DD (Decimal Degree System (Google maps) The Coordinates are described as N 43.125488 and W 79.28234, (Used on Smart Phone, Vehicles, Pc, etc.)
- The property Map or Site Description box is for a detailed map or description of the tree’s location, to make revisits easy for those who have not been there before.
- The General Notes / Tree History box is for any other observations deemed pertinent. Observations could include the presence of swollen or callused cankers, whether the tree was planted, the species of the tree if not American chestnut, damaged, if the tree is in exceptional good health, etc.