An Atlantic white cedar with a 38-inch diameter at breast height, located west of Milton, has been declared the biggest of its kind in Delaware.
The discovery is cause to celebrate because it speaks to the health of the swamp the tree is living in. Atlantic white cedar wetlands are a “globally threatened ecosystem,” according to The Nature Conservancy of Delaware.
“Cedar swamps were once found throughout the Gulf and Atlantic coasts but centuries of development and land conversion have reduced these habitats to a fraction of their original range,” a Nature Conservancy news release states.
In addition, Atlantic white cedars host numerous rare species, such as Hessel’s hairstreak. The small butterfly was seen on Delmarva for the first time in 27 years at another Sussex Nature Conservancy property in 2022.
Delaware’s largest Atlantic white cedar lives in The Nature Conservancy’s Ponders Tract, off Milton-Ellendale Highway (Route 5). The property opened to the public in 2010 and, in 2023, was expanded another 7.5 acres. Old logging roads on the property have been converted into over 9 miles of trails open to the public.