Champion Tree Project
I N T E R N A T I O N A L a non-profit, tax exempt charity founded in 1996
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Champion Trees
are the gold medallists of our fields and forests.The Champion Tree Project was founded in 1996 in Michigan to preserve these biggest, best, tallest, strongest, and eldest representatives of Earth's largest living plants. The Project exists to protect these magnificent elder giants, and make sure their genetic wisdom, beauty and benevolence is available in the new millennium. We harvest seeds and buds to propagate into new saplings, which are planted in safe havens called Archival Living Libraries.
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In 1996, with his teenage sons Jared and Jake to climb these huge trees, David Milarch collected buds from five National Champions to start the Project in MichiganOn February 1, 1997, standing under the National Champion "Sacred Bo" Tree with David Yarrow, David Milarch started the Florida Champion Tree Project. The next month, news of this reached Terry Mock in West Palm Beach, and he joined the Project. That summer, a new National Champion American Elm was found in northwest Michigan only a few miles from the Milarch's home. By the end of 1997, chapters were founded in Florida and New York.
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In 1998, at the first National Roundtable in Sarasota, Florida, recognizing the problems of big tree loss, deforestation, pollution, soil exhaustion, and climate change are global challenges facing nearly every nation, the Project was reorganized as the Champion Tree Project International.
In 2000, the Champion Tree Project was endorsed by the National Tree Trust in Washington, DC, a public foundation devoted to tree planting created in 1990 by President George Bush's America the Beautiful Act. With Tree Trust funding and resources, the Tree Project is rapidly fulfilling its mission to preserve our national and state champion trees from all of America's over 800 tree species.
The Champion Tree Project has grown steadily in five years from one man's middle of night inspiration to an international organization with partners in several states, and with nearly 100 species from eleven states under propagation in over a dozen professional nurseries.
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At the end of 2001, over 70 species in nine states were under propagation in several commercial nurseries. The first few thousand Champion clones were released as trademark ChampTrees™. Most were planted in over 50 selected locations dedicated as Living Libraries to assure their availability to future generations for public appreciation, scientific research and genetic breeding.
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The vision of
The Champion Tree Project
is
Forests of Champions
We want our children born at this threshold of the new millennium to grow old to see their land sheltered again under extensive stands of great Big Trees. Both city and country benefit from the shade of mature magnificent trees. These great green giant elders can aid our urgent need to restore our Earth, mitigate climate disturbances and revive water and habitats.
To quickly accomplish the repair and renewal of Earth's weakening ecosystems, we face four essential tasks. The Champion Tree Project is a direct, personal response to the global ecological challenges facing the next generations, and can make substantial contributions to each of these four essential tasks.
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Reforestation Topsoil Renewal and Education of Youth to respect trees, care for forests, and be wiser stewards of Earth's natural communities. |
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