In July, We Celebrate our Champion Trees!

July is a month filled with fun and adventure. Outdoor enthusiasts know that it’s one of the best months to be outside, exploring, wandering and enjoying nature. That’s why at American Forests we’ve dedicated the whole month to celebrate America’s most legendary trees!

American Forests’ National Register of Champion Trees is the nation’s one and only listing of the biggest trees of their species as reported by arborists, amateur aficionados and everyday admirers who help us to locate and measure these specimens. The Register contains the largest known trees of more than 700 species found in the United States, with tree hunters on the lookout for some 200 eligible species that do not yet have a registered champion.

The program began as a competition in September 1940, and the hunt to discover and preserve our nation’s largest living tree specimens continues to this day. The campaign to find America’s largest trees grew from a desire to protect and preserve them for future generations. Champion Trees are scattered through forest and field, along roadways and in backyards. Not only are our tree hunters still finding new trees to nominate and crown, but American Forests has also engaged a photojournalist to help us document these amazing trees for generations to come!

Champion Trees are impressive—spectacular in size, with equally amazing histories. For tens, hundreds and even thousands of years, these legendary trees have witnessed the passage of history, from a bald cypress hiding out in the swampy waters of Arkansas; to a five-story tall, slow-growing saguaro in Arizona; to the largest living organism on the planet, a giant sequoia spanning the width of a three-lane highway, in California, the Register is awe-inspiring.

Follow along with us this month as we share more about American Forests’ National Register of Champion Trees, highlighting some of the most interesting specimens we’ve discovered, and how you can personally get involved with the hunt.