That's A Yuge Tree

This one truly is yuge. 

At nine stories high and 299 inches in circumference, North Canton’s 437-year-old cucumber magnolia tree towers above its lot in the gated community of Auburn Knolls. Widely recognized as the biggest and oldest cucumber magnolia in the world, it ranks as one of 11 National Champion Big Trees in Ohio and stands as a grand symbol of Arbor Day, on April 28, in Northeast Ohio. 

But back in 2001, the behemoth faced an uncertain future after a storm blew one of its massive branches into a neighboring yard. Someone posted a sign informing residents that the tree was dying and posed a property risk to homeowners. 

“When you’ve got old trees, particularly in urban environments, which can be somewhat stressful for trees, there is a possibility that they will suffer from some kind of damage,” says Jeff Lerner, vice president for conservation programs at American Forests. 

Rather than let the leaves fall where they may, longtime resident W. Roderic Covey decided to fight to save the magnolia, whose pinkish-red, cucumber-shaped fruit provides its name. At the condominium association’s annual meeting, Covey emphasized his argument by banging a piece of the fallen limb on a table to show that it was strong and solid. 

“I told the meeting, ‘The tree is fine,’ ” Covey recalls. “ ‘It had eight giant branches and one came down, but if I injured my hand, would you shoot me?’ ”

The residents voted to save it. Today, 88-year-old Covey enjoys giving presentations about the tree and estimates he has shown it to 2,000 visitors from seven countries. “I really became chairman of the tree to protect and preserve it,” Covey says.