Looking for an ancient tree worth a detour? There’s an app for that

Dutch designer sets up an app to help fellow enthusiasts find the great trees of the world

While most people spend their holidays sightseeing or lazing by a pool, Hidde Burgmans would rather seek out special trees.

While not an expert in the subject, the 37-year-old from Baarn in the Netherlands has developed what he cheerfully admits is something of an obsession. He even managed to propose to his girlfriend, Nadia Roeleveld, under a particularly special cedar in Japan: “My fiancee always laughs, because she’s like, ‘OK, we have to make a detour again because Hidde found another big tree’.”