History

Since 1917, American Forests has been researching and documenting trees that witnessed history. Our Historic Tree Program brings history alive by propagating and selling the offspring of trees connected to famous people, events, and places. American Forests’ collection has grown to over 2,000 historic trees, but there are many worthy trees still unrecognized.

America’s Historic Tree Register consists of two lists

Historic Trees and Personal Trees.

• Historic trees are significant because they have witnessed historic or cultural events, are associated with famous people and places, or have a unique quality such as being remarkably old or take an unusual shape. Example: George Washington Tulip Poplar
• Personal trees are our favorite trees that have created lasting memories we love to share. Example: Grandma’s White Oak

All nominations for historic trees must provide documentation to verify the historical accuracy of the tree. You will be allowed to upload a total of 30 documents to support the validity of the tree. If there is no evidence a tree is associated with a historic event, your nomination will be considered a personal tree. No documentation is needed for personal trees to be recognized, just a name and a story about the tree.

Should you have trouble finding appropriate documentation for the tree, refer to your local historic society to find more information about the importance of a tree and its role in local and/or national history.

To nominate a tree for America’s Historic Tree Register please click here to signup or log in.

To learn more about the Historic Tree program and its nursery please visit http://www.historictrees.org/.