Image courtesy of Scott Badami
You can suggest a tree be added to the Shade Tree Commission
Whitpain Township is lucky to have many volunteers who step up and serve on our Boards and Commissions to make our hometown a better place. One group of Whitpain volunteers, our Shade Tree Commission, is in the process of putting notable “Heritage Trees” onto Google Maps to identify the trees that our Shade Tree Commission has deemed worthy of preservation due to their “species, age, size, rarity, or historical importance.”
Pictured here I am, with two of our Shade Tree Commission members, my friends Tim Knowles and Edgar David, in front of the American sycamore tree behind the Manor House at Prophecy Creek. This tree (which the three of us look really small standing in front of) is on the list of the largest trees in Pennsylvania. Its trunk has a 23-foot circumference.
This American sycamore is one of a number of notable trees in Whitpain Township that you can find on Google maps. Other Heritage tree sites include: (1) the ash tree at the corner of Wentz Road and Skippack Pike (next to the flower shop), which has been identified as the last surviving heritage ash tree in Whitpain.
To that end, the Township treats that tree regularly to protect against the emerald ash borer, an invasive wood-boring beetle that has decimated ash populations in Pennsylvania; and (2) the American sycamores at the Arch Street entrance of Mermaid Lake Park were added to the list in 2023 due to their large size. These trees were saved from development when the Township acquired Mermaid Lake for preservation in 2020.
Here is the fun part: in order to find a Heritage Tree, just type “Heritage Tree” into the search bar on Google Maps. You’ll see a list of Heritage Trees with their species and location.
In addition, the next time you are in a Whitpain park like Prophecy Creek, Mermaid Lake, or the Armentrout Preserve, looking at the park on Google Maps will show the Heritage Trees in your area. The Shade Tree Commission will be adding to the list as the year progresses, so keep checking in.
If you have a tree that you think deserves to be added to the list, you can reach out to our Shade Tree Commission here, and complete the application.
