In 1940, American Forests launched a campaign to locate the largest living specimens of American trees. The National Register of Champion Trees started out as a competition, a national hunt to discover the largest specimens of American tree species. Today, it is part of our National Champion Trees program. Every year people search for America’s largest trees, bringing awareness to their beauty and ecosystem services, and fostering a desire to protect and preserve them for future generations. National Champion Trees can be discovered in rural and urban landscapes, scattered throughout forests and fields, along roadways and in backyards.
The competition continues.
Big tree seekers in South Carolina measure a Loblolly Pine that was crowned a National Champion in 2017.
Discover, measure and nominate the largest trees you can find to American Forests’ National Register of Champion Trees. The challenge to new and old tree lovers is to find and nominate trees larger than those currently listed, if they exist. Venture out on your own or take friends with you. There are nearly 900 tree species eligible for the register. Show us what you can find!
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Your gift helps support our Champion Trees, the nation’s oldest, biggest and most magnificent trees.
