And so it is for trees. In 1940, the American Forests Organization established “The National Register of Big Trees” to identify and honor the "champion tree" for each species.
Each champion is determined by adding three measurements: the circumference of the trunk, the height of the tree and the spread of the crown. The tree with the most points is the champion for that species. And, because trees are continually growing and dying, updating the list is a never-ending task.
Finding the precise height of a tree is done by combining information from two devices. A clinometer measures the angle from the viewer on the ground to the top of the tree. And a laser rangefinder records the exact distance from an eye-level point to the tree’s top twig. With application of a little trigonometry, the judges can calculate a tree’s height right down to a millimeter.
In 2021, there were 561 trees in the national registry. The biggest champion is a giant sequoia in California, while the smallest is the southern Bayberry in North Carolina.
Utah’s state tree is the trembling aspen, but sadly, the champion of that species is nowhere near our state. It’s in Chippewa County, Michigan.
In Utah, you will find the champion trees of Rocky Mountain Juniper, Blue Spruce, Joshua tree and Limber Pine. They’re our winners!
But this national register of champion trees doesn’t tell the whole story. I think that a tree’s value is not about size or symmetry, or whether it’s the tallest or smallest of its species. A tree is great simply because it’s a tree.
