The founder of the National Register of Big Trees was in Narooma this week attending the Dendrology Society conference at the La Salle Motel.

And while here, Derek McIntosh got out and about looking for big trees for his national register.

The 35-metre Norfolk pine at Foxglove Spires Nursery, Tilba Tilba is one of three Norfolk pines around Australia that have reached the 35-metre mark.

Other entries to the register he has been able to make include a river peppermint, river redgum and rough-barked apple all at the Wandella Arboretum at Cobargo.

While a silky oak at the Moruya bridge will also make the register as Australia biggest.

Australia's largest trees of a particular species are recorded in this Register, which can be found at www.nationalregisterofbigtrees.co m.au.

The register is an integrated list of Australian native trees, and exotics or alien trees.

Points are awarded on the basis of a formula that includes, girth, height, and crown spread.

The list is constantly changing as people take a good look at trees in their backyards, on pavements, in community parks and explore wilderness areas.

Mr McIntosh, aged 68, is from Manly in the Sydney metropolitan area and he founded and now coordinates the register.

He was born in South Africa, and has been a lover of trees since his teenage years.

In 1981, he immigrated to Australia and now recently retired, he hopes to fulfill his dream of creating the National Register of Big Trees for Australia.

“I have no specific botanical knowledge of trees that equips me to undertake the task, but I do have a burning ambition to create this Register, and a strong administrative ability; this latter skill being a key component of this project,” he says on the website.

“I will form a team of experts that can advise on the botanical aspects of the nominated species etc. As part of this process, a nominated expert will coordinate the measurement on a regional basis, but only once the Register is populated with a fairly large number of trees.”