What is a Big Tree?
In 1940, the journal American Forests initiated a nationwide search for the largest tree of each species, the national champion. The nationwide program first began in order to identify and protect these living landmarks. Every year larger trees are found, old champions are dethroned, and new champions take their place on the registry list. The search is ongoing and hundreds of large trees have been saved from human destruction. The National Big Tree Registry can be found on the internet at <http://www.amfor.org/bigtree/bigtree.html>.Information on the Illinois Big Tree Registry can be obtained by writing to Illinois Department of Conservation, Division of Forest Resources, 600 North Grand Avenue West, Springfield, IL 62706.
Many smaller search regions exist. Most states have a registry and many counties are beginning their own registry. Don Schmidt, Dean of Green, and Joseph E. Armstrong, Professor of Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, are creating a regional big tree registry in association with Illinois State University's Fell Arboretum and the Fell Arboretum Society. The Fell Arboretum is located on the Illinois State University campus and includes many tree species native to Illinois. This educational project promotes an interest in tress, their identification, and and measuring are basic skills for each of these subjects. This educational project will involve and interest members of the general public, and involve members of the Fell arboretum Society. Once we generate some publicity for this project, members of the public possessing a large tree may wish for participating classes to measure one of their trees.
When looking for champion trees it is important to keep in mind that not all trees are able to grow as large as oaks or redwoods. for example, the champion mountain ash of Illinois is only fifteen feet high, eight inches in circumference, with a crown width of only 12 feet. Tree indemnification books provide descriptions of standard sizes of different tree species.