New register opens to crown Champion Trees across the U.S.

(Press-News.org) The National Champion Tree Program (NCTP) announced its first Register of Champion Trees since 2021. The program moved from American Forests to the University of Tennessee School of Natural Resources in 2023 and has spent the past year working with state-level Champion Tree programs across the U.S. to update outdated records and verify the newly crowned champions.

“We are thrilled beyond measure to share the list of the largest documented trees in the United States,” Jaq Payne, NCTP director, said. “These trees are more than just numbers on a website. They're living, breathing members of our community. I hope this register encourages folks to start looking at the trees around them with fresh eyes.” Payne announced the new register and NCTP Data Management System at the program’s Root Ball at the UT Conference Center in downtown Knoxville on Saturday, January 18. The register started as a short list of 77 big trees in the April 1941 edition of American Forests magazine. By 2021, it had grown to 562 Champion Trees across the country.

“Since moving to the University of Tennessee, the NCTP continues the vital work of identifying, documenting and protecting these gentle giants,” Jad Daley, president and CEO of American Forests, said. “Building on its rich legacy, the program is deepening partnerships with communities, researchers and conservation groups to better understand the ecological significance of these trees. Together, we strive to inspire greater stewardship of the natural world and ensure these majestic champions thrive for generations to come." American Forests is providing $200,000 through April 2025 to support the program’s move to UT.

The UT Institute of Agriculture Information Technology Services team, including Riley Fox, Tammy McKinley and Billy Williams, worked with Payne to build the new National Champion Tree Register and Data Management System. They also trained state coordinators on using the system to enter big tree information. Payne said, “As we settle into our new home at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, we are reviving the original vision from the September 1940 issue of American Forests magazine to establish ‘a nationwide laboratory for tree and forestry studies by future generations.’”

Anyone can access the new data management system through the program’s website. There you can find Champion Trees for different species, see the trees’ measurements and read the cultural importance of the trees, if known. “We wanted to create an experience that includes the rich history of these individuals,” Payne added. The program is still collecting the trees’ histories and would appreciate any help from community members.

Champion Trees are identified based on a point system including the trunk circumference, height and average crown spread. After members of the public nominate trees, the NCTP works with state coordinators to verify the submissions and their measurements. Verified trees are then added to the data management system. National Champion Trees are crowned once every two years and must be re-verified every 10 years.

The program plans to start taking nominations for new Champion Trees on its website in February. The list of eligible tree species for the 2025-2026 register will be released at the end of January and is expected to include more than 1,200 species of trees native and naturalized to the U.S., a steep increase from the 900 species eligible for the 2024 register. For the first time in the program’s 84-year history, an additional list of “culturally important non-native” eligible species will be included to represent common, widely recognized urban species previously not found on the register.

Nominations for potential Champion Trees will stay open through August 2025.

The National Champion Tree Program’s mission is to protect, preserve and keep record of the largest trees in the United States through public education and engagement.

The UT School of Natural Resources focuses on a mastery learning approach, emphasizing practical, hands-on experiences. The school’s faculty, staff and students advance the science and sustainable management of our natural resources through various programs of the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA). UTIA is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu


 

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