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Feature
The National Champion Tree Program: An honor for Tennessee, a boon for the Nation
By Jaq Payne, National Director of the Champion Tree Program
California, 2,500 miles away from Tennessee, a forest of redwood trees has been growing steadily for over two millennia. Deep within this forest, the tallest tree recorded by the Champion Tree Program stands, with an entire ecosystem hidden and thriving in its massive canopy. This gargantuan Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), known as Lost Monarch (Fig. 1), clocks in at an unfathomable 321 feet tall. That’s 21 feet taller than a football field is long (minus the end zones). That’s 16 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty atop her pedestal. It’s also as tall as 64.2 Dolly Partons stacked on top of each other. Although most foresters don’t use “Dolly Partons” as a unit of measurement, the National Champion Tree Program is seeking new ways to engage the creative minds of the public and convey the majesty of these gentle giants.
The Champion Tree Program keeps the record of the largest trees in the United States of America. It started in the early 1940s when American Forests Magazine published an article penned by Joseph L. Stearns, calling for the recognition and protection of the largest trees in the country. He is pictured in the magazine, standing next to the burned remains of what was once the world’s largest Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipfera) (Fig. 2), marveling at the wonder of its size and the tragedy of its loss due to the careless mistake of a couple hunters seeking refuge in the tree from the winter chill. American Forests heartily endorsed this proposition of finding and preserving America’s largest trees, encouraging readers to send in the location and size of the large trees they were aware of. “Such a conservation activity, it is believed, will have incalculable benefits, not only in stimulating greater tree appreciation, but in establishing a nation-wide laboratory for tree and forestry studies by future generations.”
The University of Tennessee is a natural fit for the future of this program. In mid-2023, the decision was made to transfer the program from American Forests to the University of Tennessee Knoxville, School of Natural Resources and a national search was conducted during the summer of 2023. As the outcome of that search, I was selected to be the National Champion Tree Program Leader. This is an honor both for the University of Tennessee and for our state – Tennessee are home to the heart of the deciduous forest, and a great many people across the state are passionate about our beautiful trees. My name is Jaq Payne (Fig. 3), and I have had the joy, pleasure, and challenge of running the state of Tennessee Champion Tree Program (as featured in the Winter 2021 issue of Tennessee GreenTimes) for the past couple years, and my vision for the future of the National Champion Tree Program is clear and bright.
These trees are remarkable, not just for their size but for their contributions to our community. Some stand in graveyards, taking in the echoes of the pain of human loss with their silent stature, moving on a timescale that we can scarcely understand. Some of these marvels of nature are found in urban backyards, farmlands, and as with Tennessee’s State Champion Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), in the middle of a lake accessible only by kayak (Fig. 4). Not only does documenting these trees provide data that we can use to better understand tree morphology and physiology, but the experience also yields a wealth of cultural data – How do humans interact with and think about trees? What types of people have access to these trees? How do we increase the amount of people that are able to draw strength and peace from their connection with nature?
This re-imagining of the Champion Tree Program has three main pillars: Conservation, Information, and Education. First, conservation: 53 out of the 563 National Champion Trees, approximately 9% of the currently represented species, are listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, or Extinct in the wild. One such specimen is the National Champion Quercus tomentella, which is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List. A photo from American Forests shows the tree’s impressive stature (Fig. 5). Preserving the genetic material of these specimens, collecting seeds, propagating seedlings with partners across the country, and even cloning trees when it is safe and possible to do so, could have far-reaching implications in the world of tree preservation. Some of these species do not exist in any ex-situ collections, so ensuring that these species are represented in botanical gardens and arboretum is not only a priority for direct conservation, but also for engaging the public in recognizing these species and their value.
Next, information: With a strong national program, we are able to invest more in accurate measurement techniques and making sure that our State Coordinators and those who help them are trained correctly in how to measure trees. This goal is achieved through the help of the National Cadre of Tree Measurement Experts, which was started in the mid 2010’s by American Forests and a group of math and tree experts. By ensuring that we have key data that is as accurate as possible, we will be able to use this information to move toward the original 1940’s vision for the program: to serve as “a nationwide laboratory for tree and forestry studies by future generations.” This is one of the reasons that the University of Tennessee, a land-grant university lauded for its research, is the perfect home for the future of the Champion Tree Program. We also have the benefit of UT Extension, the hands of the university reaching out into the community, disseminating the empirical research being performed.
Finally, education: we are positioned to be able to use the information that we gain about these trees, along with what we learn from our focused conservation efforts, to help educate the public about the importance of trees. Large, mature trees like these contribute to our communal well-being and are vital components of a healthy, vibrant ecology in the greenspaces around us. By communicating the value of these trees, we will change hearts and minds, shift priorities, and expand nationally the focus of tree conservation work beyond just the simple planting of seedlings and young trees. We seek to fully embrace and instruct about the maintenance and protection of trees, whether they are Champions or not.
Many of the Champion Trees are near the end of their natural lives, having reached their highest heights and now are entering a state of decline. We must ensure that the public is educated on the importance of hiring certified arborists to maintain and sometimes remove these massive specimens when it is no longer safe for these sentinels to stand around people and property. Balancing the need for safety with the massive impact these trees have on their environment is a challenging endeavor. However, when certified arborists are engaged in making those assessments and property owners are helped to better understand their trees, we can more fully honor the life cycle of these distinguished tree specimens and find creative ways to utilize the wood that may be reclaimed from their timely or necessary removal.
It’s been said that the future is the past altered by the present. In this moment, the choices that we make will affect not only our immediate descendants, but their descendants and beyond (Fig. 6, Sitka Spruce photo courtesy of Brian Kelley, Gathering Growth Foundation, with permission of American Forests). As I imagine the future society that we are building right now, the natural world that we are borrowing from our great-great-grandchildren, I am heartened by the passion that Champion Trees evoke. Even our smallest Champion Trees, like the 9-foot-tall Potatotree (Solanum erianthum) in Texas (Fig. 7, courtesy of National Champion Tree archives), are beloved and held in high esteem by tree lovers across the country. By honoring these giants of their kind and by advocating for their protection, maintenance, and recognition, we are speaking directly to the people living on this land a hundred years from now. Letting them know that “We saw the immense value of these members of our ecological community, and we did our best to ensure that you get to enjoy their presence, too.”
More information about the National Champion Tree Program can be found at or by emailing nationalchampiontree.org
or by emailing contact@nationalchampiontree.org
Nominations will reopen to the public in January 2025.
This article was written for Tennessee GreenTimes and is reprinted with permission.
