History of Treasure Trees

Humble Beginnings

The original Treasure Trees Program was started in the late 1980s by Tom Martin and Joe McLaurin. At the time, Tom was working as the Urban Forestry Agent for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Joe was a woodworker and naturalist. They met at a class Tom was teaching and struck up a friendship, traveling the county searching, measuring and documenting big and rare trees. The Treasure Trees Program had taken root.

Thanks to help from many volunteers, the Treasure Trees Program found and recognized 123 special trees in Mecklenburg county between 1989 and 2000. Over the years, owners of Treasure Trees received a certificate and a number-stamped metal tag designed by Joe to attach to the tree. There was even a gala to celebrate honorees. 

By the early 2000s, the program began to lose steam and quietly petered out. Fortunately, two local arborists – Patrick George (middle photo) and Patrick Anderson (bottom photo) – revived the effort as a passion project. George’s Heartwood Tree Service even provided free tree care to several of the most fragile Treasure Trees. 

Now, a new committee has formed, lead by tree enthusiast Brett Dupree and TreesCharlotte staff. While many of the original trees fell due to illness, storms, or development, the Treasure Tree Committee is dedicated to checking on the status of original Treasure Trees while soliciting nominations from the community to add new ones to the list. 

"Treasure trees are our living heritage." - Tom Martin and Joe McLaurin 

The New Treasure Trees Program

As of 2025, Treasure Trees only recognizes the largest tree of each native and naturalized species in Mecklenburg County. With changing standards and the passage of time, only 21 of the original 123 trees are still recognized as current Treasure Trees. The new Treasure Trees Program honors the existing, original Treasure Trees while recognizing a new generation of large trees, telling their stories and sharing their ecological importance to the region’s environment. 

We accept nominations for new Treasure Trees on a rolling basis from September to April. Nominations received outside of this window will be measured the following year. The Treasure Trees committee will measure and confirm new Treasure Trees from May to August, and nominees will be alerted on their tree's status in September. 

Want to become a Treasure Tree Hunter? Email TreesCharlotte at info@treescharlotte.org.