The 22 Biggest Trees in Canada

Despite Canada’s rather cold climate, the country is still home to many different species of trees, including firs, oaks, and pines. Canada’s forests cover nearly half of the country, which includes nearly one million square miles. The good news is that more than 90% of the forests found there are owned by the public. Even though half of the forests are allocated for logging, the Forestry Landscape Integrity Index still gives Canada an 8.9 score (out of 10), which says a lot about how well they take care of the forests in their possession.

For the trees listed below, we included tall trees, thick trees, and old trees, resulting in a good combination of factors that make up the “biggest” trees in the country. Most of them have a great description of the location for your convenience, but for the ones that don’t, the estimated location should be good enough for you to find the exact tree. If you need additional details on a specific tree or you simply want to view a photograph of it, you can easily find what you’re looking for every time by going to the Internet.

There is certainly a wide variety of big trees located in Canada, so you have plenty of them to choose from. If you’re a tourist or you live in Canada and have never had the pleasure of visiting some amazing super-big trees before, now is the time to get started. Below are 22 of the biggest trees in the great country of Canada. They are in no particular order but describe the trees in detail to whet your appetite for seeing them in person.

22. Black Cherry in Mono, Ontario, Black Cherry (prunus serotina), 39 feet 

Located in Ontario in Hockley Hills, this 39-foot black cherry tree has a girth of around 10 feet and has beautiful multicolored leaves to enjoy at certain times of the year. Although it is not as tall as many other trees on the “champion” tree list, this is a gorgeous tree that receives tons of visitors each and every year. 

21. White Ash in Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, White Ash (fraxinus americana), 39 feet

Located in the municipality of Caledon in Ontario, the tree has a girth of around 13 feet and is tall and slender in stature. Nevertheless, it does have many protruding branches and therefore has a very unique shape. The white ash tree is indeed an eye-catcher, especially one as tall as this one. If you want to treat yourself and see an amazing site, this is the tree to see.

20. Silver Birch in Shore Acres, Saskatchewan, Silver Birch (betula pendula), 45 feet

Located across from the municipality of Regina Beach in Shore Acres, this gorgeous tree has a girth of around six feet and was planted in 1983, give or take a year. This means it is roughly nearly 40 years old, give or take one year. It has long elegant leaves and since it sits right on the water, it looks even more elegant than it already is.

19. Eastern Hophornbeam in Kolapore, Ontario, Eastern Hophornbeam (ostrya virginiana), 47 feet

This gorgeous tree is located at Metcalfe Park in Kolapore and has a girth of around seven feet. It is a somewhat curvy tree with a lot of beautiful green foliage and is easy to find once you find the park. You can enjoy a nice day at the park and visit a very unique tree all on the same day.

18. Eastern hemlock in South Portage, Ontario, Eastern Hemlock (tsuga canadensis), 50 feet

Located on Rat Bay Road in Ontario in the municipality of Muskoka, this 50-foot tree has a girth of around nine feet, making it a very tall and slender tree. It is a very attractive tree that is currently very healthy and therefore, it should be around for quite a while.

17. Red Spruce in Lac-drolet, Quebec, Red Spruce (picea rubens), 59 feet

The red spruce in Lac-drolet is found in the woods of Mount Petit-Morne and has a girth measurement of roughly six feet. If you wanted to take a picture of a tree that has the perfect size and even more importantly, the perfect shape, this would be it. It is an eye-catching tree that is nothing short of amazing.

16. Yellow Birch in Grand Beach, Newfoundland, Yellow Birch (betula alleghaniensis), 65 feet

With a girth of around 13 feet, this 65-foot yellow birch tree is found along the river Main brook in the municipality of Grand Bank. More specifically, look for it in Newfoundland and Labrador. The yellow birch is usually a tall and slender tree except for maybe at the bottom, which gives it a very elegant look.

15. Bur Oak in Lambert Wilson Park in Aurora, Ontario, Bur Oak (quercus macrocarpa), 74 feet

Located in the municipality of York, this 74-foot tree has a girth of roughly 17 feet. Its trunk looks pretty average at the bottom, but once you notice how big the spread is at the top and how lucious the leaves look whenever the tree blooms, you’ll understand just how phenomenal this tree really is.

14. Eastern Cottonwood in Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, Eastern Cottonwood (populus deltoides), 76 feet

This beautiful eastern cottonwood is located at 309-173 West Long Island Road in Grand Pre. It has a girth of around 17 feet and one of its most interesting features is the fact that it is located on a sloping piece of land. Nevertheless, it is a very sturdy tree that seems to be very healthy as well, as confirmed by the number of visitors it receives each year.

13. Cucumber Tree in Alliston, Ontario, Cucumber Tree (magnolia acuminata), 80 feet

Located on Wellington Street in the municipality of New Tecumseth, the tree has a girth of around 11 feet and is roughly 77 years old, give or take five years. It was planted in 1945 (give or take five years) and has a plaque in front of it so it is difficult to miss. In fact, there is only one cucumber tree this tall in that area.

12. Sugar Maple in Pelham, Ontario, Sugar Maple (acer saccharum), 80 feet

This sugar maple is found along Metler Road in the municipality of Pelham, Ontario, and it has a DBH of roughly 21 feet. It was planted around the year 1481, give or take three years, so it is now more than 540 years old (give or take three years). This is a gorgeous sugar maple that by all accounts is healthy and continues to grow year after year.

11. Red Pine in Lost Channel, Ontario, Red Pine (pinus resinosa), 84 feet

This tree is found on Don Ryan Road in the municipality of Port Loring and has a girth of around six feet. It is tall and slender and gorgeous, and it should be easy to find since the street name is identified. Look for this tree if you’re in the area and wish to take a quick photograph of an amazing-looking tree.

10. Eastern White Pine in Fall River, Nova Scotia, Eastern White Pine (acer saccharinum), 85 feet

Located in the municipality of Halifax on Holland Road, this gorgeous tree looks like it has thick vertical layers of tree trunk at the bottom, and its girth of around 18 feet gives you plenty of room to stand around it and take some great photographs. If you’re anywhere near Holland Road in Halifax, you owe it to yourself to visit this beautiful tree.

9. Silver Maple in Alliston, Ontario, Silver Maple (acer saccharinum), 87 feet

This beautiful silver maple tree is located in The Pinery in Alliston in the municipality of New Tecumseth. Its girth is around 13 feet and the tree itself is healthy-looking and is being well-preserved. The bottom section of the tree isn’t straight and is therefore very interesting-looking, and at 87 feet tall, it’s a lot of fun to take pictures with.

8. Northern Red Oak in Newmarket, Ontario, Northern Red Oak (quercus rubra), 98 feet

This luxurious Northern red oak is located in the Thornton Bales Conservation Area in the Newmarket section of Ontario, which is in the municipality of York. The girth of the tree is around 19 feet, but experts say it might be larger since it has multiple trunks. It’s a great-looking tree and is also very easy to find because it is on public land.

7. Weeping Willow in Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, Canada, Weeping Willow (salix babylonica), 103 feet

This weeping willow may look like an ordinary willow tree, unless you look up to notice how tall it is! The girth of the tree (DBH) is roughly 24 feet, and it is located in the municipality of Wolfville at the Grand Pre Historic Site in Grand Pre. The bottom of the tree is wide and the first branches are relatively low, making for great photograph opportunities!

6. Red Pine in Alliston, Ontario, Red Pine (pinus resinosa), 104 feet

Located in The Pinery in the municipality of New Tecumseth, this 104-foot tree nevertheless has a girth of only around 4.5 feet, which makes it a very slender tree indeed. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful tree and one that you won’t regret seeing in person.

5. Beatties Beast, Eastern White Pine (pinus strobus), 136 feet

This tree is located in the municipality of New Tecumseth in The Pinery in Alliston. It has a girth of around eight feet and is therefore a very tall and slender tree. It is truly a work of nature to see this tree in person. It is also fairly easy to find and receives tons of visitors each and every year.

4. Cheewhat Lake Red cedar, Western Red cedar (thuja plicata), 182 feet

This western redcedar is nicknamed the Cheewhat Giant and is located in a remote area near Cheewhat Lake just west of Lake Cowichan. The trunk diameter alone is 20 feet in size, and it has enough timber volume to make 450 regular telephone poles. It was discovered in 1988 and is part of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The reserve itself is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west and by the Vancouver Island Ranges of the Insular Mountains to the east and is located in British Columbia.

3. Big Lonely Doug, Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii), 217 feet

This tree was planted around 1020, give or take 100 years, and therefore it is a little more than 1,000 years old, give or take 100 years. It is located in British Columbia close to the municipality of Port Renfrew. If you look at this tall, slender tree, you get the impression that part of its trunk might have been lost in the past, and many tree experts agree with this theory. Nevertheless, it is still a very large and impressive Douglas fir tree.

2. Red Creek Tree, Common Douglas-fir (pseudotsuga menziesii), 242 feet

The Red Creek Tree is located in British Columbia in Port Renfrew along the San Juan River. When it comes to volume, this is the largest Douglas fir there is, as well as the largest tree in the pine family. The girth of the tree (DBH) is roughly 43 feet, and it was planted in the year 1000, give or take 300 years. This means that in 2022, the age of the tree is 1,022 years, give or take 300 years. So the Red Creek Tree is both large and very old!

1. Common Douglas Fir in MacMillan Provincial Park, British Columbia, Common Douglas Fir (pseudotsuga menziesii), 246 feet

This tree is located in a part of the MacMillan Provincial Park called Cathedral Grove, and it has a DBH of around 29 feet. It is estimated to have been planted around the year 1211, give or take 10 years, which means that in the year 2022, its age is around 811 years, plus or minus 10 years. It is a massive-looking tree that is especially impressive when you look up to see how tall it is.