New National Champion Elm
The most exciting 1997 event for the Project was discovery of a new National Champion American Elm just miles from David Milarch's home. This grand old tree graced the front page of nine newspapers, and brought many people to David's door. Evelyn Sika, a Copemish neighbor, first took a reluctant and doubting David to see this giant in a cornfield.
"I thought chances of a State—let alone National—Champion were nearly nil," remembered David. "But when I saw it, I almost fainted."
After standing silent and unseen over 400 years, this 112 foot giant was measured and registered last summer. Ten feet above ground, its 231/2 foot girth splits into twelve separate trunks, each as large as an ordinary tree. Dr. Woody Ehrle, Michigan's Big Tree coordinator, scored the tree at 423 points.
This tree is significant because the American Elm is our second most endangered native tree. Only American Chestnut is more threatened. Elms died rapidly from Dutch elm disease spread by bark-boring beetle and capillary-choking fungus that appeared after World War Two. Over three-quarters of American elms—the nation's favorite shade tree—died in the 50's, and most survivors are declining.
This new Champion Elm, however, is healthy, vigorous, and shows no sign of affliction—past or present. We hope this tree possesses immunity or resistance to the Dutch elm death, and that this quality can be passed on genetically. This is precisely one key reason why the Project was founded: to locate, preserve and study genetically superior trees.
This happy event is tinged with sadness, however. The previous National Champion American Elm in Louisville, Kansas had a score of 435, but was dethroned by both natural and man-made disasters. First it was struck by lightning, then firebombed by a vandal. There were no cloned cuttings to preserve this tremendous elder. This giant's tragic fall from grace highlights the need to protect these great old trees, and to preserve and propagate them before they perish.
Doug Chapman, Director at DOW Botanical Gardens in Midlands, Michigan took a few cuttings from the Michigan Elm. A few were shared with Dr. Denny Townsend at the National Arboretum (Maryland) and Dr. Eugene Smalley at University of Wisconsin (Madison), national expert on American Elm. While Dr. Smalley doubts any tree has immunity to Dutch Elm disease, he may rate this new Champion high for resistance.
This spring, perhaps 200 small saplings of this tree will be ready for planting in the first Living Libraries. Next, we must find scientists and graduate students inspired to study its genes.
Florida Chapter Founded
February 1, 1997, under the National Champion Sacred Bo tree at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, David Milarch and David Yarrow held a press conference to form a Florida Champion Tree Project. With 146 National Champions, Florida ranks first of all states.
After this west coast event, Terry Mock, founder and former president of the Florida Native Plant Society, hosted a second press conference on March 5 in Palm Beach. Thanks to Terry's active, effective advocacy, interest in Florida Champions is high.
Financial support came from the Accelerator Growers Association (AGA), a "nationwide network using new horticultural technology to grow the highest quality trees in the world." As AGA's Marketing Director, Terry Mock says, "AGA and FCTP are natural partners because genetically superior trees should be grown with advanced technology to insure optimal long-term results." AGA growers pledged production capacity to produce one million Champion Trees.
After the press conference, David Milarch and Terry toured the state to speak to tree, nursery and forestry groups. Among their destinations: International Society of Arboriculture; Florida Urban Forestry Council, and executives at Tampa Horticultural Exposition, representing municipal tree boards, golf courses and landscape architects. The final meeting was with the Board of Florida Native Plant Society, where a new book on Florida Champions were announced: Big Trees: The Florida Register by Dr. Daniel Ward and Robert T. Ing.
The Horticulture Society of South Florida endorsed the Project, and is working to secure funding and safe havens for Archival Living Libraries. Potential sites include public and private golf courses, Flamingo Gardens, Walt Disney World, and Pigeon Key Foundation's island research facility in the Keys.
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is a global network of shade tree growers, surgeons, researchers, and scientists. As tree grower representative on ISA's Florida chapter board, Terry mapped strategy to ISA for nursery industry's long-term regional sustainability. ISA is enthusiastic, and is reviewing how to become more involved.
With a letter from Governor Lawton Chiles, Terry put the Project before the Governor's Commission for a Sustainable South Florida: industry, environmental and political leaders that set long-term policy for America's fastest growing region. Commission Chair Richard Pettigrew acknowledged, "Trees are an important component of our urban areas, enhancing the landscape, counteracting effects of pollution, and assuring success of long range sustainability goals."
Nationwide, interest in the Project has begun to materialize. Lerio Corporation, number one U.S. producer of nursery containers, added The Accelerator(R) air-root-pruning system to its products, and committed to address the market's needs for higher quality trees. Lerio President Mark Christian and Terry Mock made a nationwide trade show tour to introduce The Accelerator(R). Terry reports, "Everywhere, from Florida to Oregon, there is strong interest to improve tree quality by better production methods and superior genetics. We identified partners in key states across the country."
Michigan Champion Tree Protection Act
The best protection for Champion Trees is public recognition and respect. But public benevolence must be reinforced by legal reason and due process. So legislation is needed to:
Earth Day, a Michigan Champion Tree Protection Act—first in America—was introduced to Michigan's Legislature by State Representative Bill Bobier and State Senator George McManus. This bill will bring these great trees—our key allies in evolution, climate control and greenhouse gas removal—under legal shelter.
With 23 sponsors and enthusiastic response, this pioneering bill will easily work its way through the legislative machine and pass in 1999. Some suggest amending the Act to make May 1 Champion Tree Day in the State of Michigan.
1997 Champion Bud Harvest
Unfortunately, few new trees were harvested for buds and none for seeds in 1997—the Project's second year. Yet, progress was made to preserve our Big Trees as four new varieties were added to the list of cloned Michigan Champions.
A small quantity of both Florida Champions are being propagated by AGA grower Jim Henry at the Butterfly's Are Free Nursery for ceremonial use, and as a source of future cuttings. The cuttings are now a foot tall and fully rooted in Accelerator(r) containers. However, it's generally not good to plant clones at such small size. Survival is better if they're kept in the nursery a few years before planting out.
Plans are underway for a more abundant harvest of Champion budwood and seeds in 1998. We hope by year's end over two dozen National Champions and several State Champions will be in propagation, and ready to plant in Living Libraries in 1999.
Founding Memberships
In July 1996, The Champion Tree Project was incorporated in Michigan. A second chapter was incorporated in Florida in March 1997, and a third in NY in November.
In 1998, we expect chapters to form in other states to give the Project national scope. Anticipating emergence nationwide, the Project offers $25 Founding Memberships to individuals and families who join this year. Founders will get. Additional membership classes are available for organizations, businesses, corporations, and patrons
In the next four years, many Champion Trees will be preserved by plantings in Living Libraries. As more trees are propagated, saplings will become available for public distribution. As earlybird, these Founding Members will get first choice to select and purchase their own tree from Champion saplings available publicly.
Project Website: Champion Trees on the Internet
In August, Dan Winter of the San Graal School for Sacred Geometry in Asheville, No. Carolina donated disk space on his web server to the Project. David Yarrow of Turtle EyeLand in Albany, NY wrote text and code to begin a Champion Tree website on the Internet. The URL to access the homepage is:
Currently the site is a simple, no frills, no thrills information resource of nearly 50 documents, including a new members page, state chapters, how to start a chapter, Michigan Champion Tree Protection Act, guidelines for a Living Library, and more.
Lee and Claudia Nowack of Traverse City, Michigan were the first people to enroll as Founding Members from this website.
In the next year the goal is to develop a theme and framework for an educational website for children. A series of screens for distinct age ranges to teach them about trees, forest, ecology, and stewardship. Some of this information and instruction is already available on-line at other sites to be linked to the Project site.
Contributions and suggestions to improve the Project website are appreciated. Currently we need photos of Champion Trees and relevant graphics. We also want to develop links to other information resources, programs and groups on the web, and master use of the web as organizing tool for a nationwide effort.
New York: Living Libraries into Living Classrooms
In July 1997, meetings began in Syracuse, New York at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry of the State University of NY, guided by David Yarrow and hosted by Dr. Sue Senecah in the Environmental Studies Dept. A New York chapter was incorporated in November, with nine Board members from five regions of the state. Because NY is so diversified in population, geology and ecology, the NY chapter is organized with regional subchapters and representation.
The NY chapter's first goal is to establish Living Libraries to plant Champion clones beginning spring 1998. A 48-page information packet was developed. In November, invitations to begin plantings in spring 1998 were mailed to a dozen sponsors around the state, and the chapter members began discussions to enroll each site as a Champion archive.
While NY has a great diversity of population, ecology and geography, unlike Florida and Michigan, the Empire State isn't blessed with many National Champions. NY only has 14, although several are of commercial and cultural value.
However, the NY chapter identified education as its principal goal for program development. Several Living Library sites offer opportunities to create Living Classrooms. In the next year, St. Lawrence University and the Albany Free School will explore activities to involve children and youth in learning about trees, forests, ecology, and stewardship. Soon we hope to plant Living Libraries at all 64 State University of NY campuses—first step toward Living Classrooms at each institution.
The goal for 1998 is to explore in preliminary ways the needs of children, and methods for interactive educational curriculum. Insights gained this year provide a foundation to design and plan a comprehensive effort in 1999. Other New York Living Libraries have potential to develop educational programs, and each site affords a unique context to tailor theme, content and methods.
Michigan Agreement with Schmidt's Nursery
In August 1996, David Milarch and his two sons shipped buds cut from five Michigan Champion trees to the J. Frank Schmidt Nursery Co. in Boring, Oregon, America's largest container shade tree company, selling over 5 million trees a year.
Schmidt's grafted and grew these buds from Michigan. In only twelve months (five months of growth), 12-inch cuttings grew to six to nine foot saplings! This extra-ordinary growth got Keith Warren, Schmidt's horticulturist, very interested in the Champion Tree Project. This was a good idea come true!
Terry Mock flew to Oregon to see firsthand results of the first Michigan Champions. Discussing national strategy to develop and market Champion Trees, Keith Warren said, "It's obvious now we can establish and produce trees from budwood of original parents. All four species produced strong growth and good form. They look like viable commercial nursery products."
In December, Michigan chapter President David Milarch flew to Oregon to hear Schmidt's prospects to grow and market Champions. The nursery wants to invest significant capital and resources to trademark, propagate and market all five Michigan Champions they currently grow. They will generate the volume of saplings and promotion for national markets. Michigan Champion Tree Project, owner of the plant materials, will get $1 royalty for each trademark Champion Tree sold.
Schmidt's will review the list of Michigan's other Champion Trees, and indicate which can develop into nursery products. Schmidt's will offer $1 per tree for others with commercial potential. Schmidt's has interests in an Oregon horticulture lab, and will investigate cloning Champion Trees by tissue culture.
Further, Schmidt's will cooperate to develop all National and State Champions native to the Northern climate zone into trademark trees to market nationwide. State chapters are invited to send Schmidt's their Big Tree list. Schmidt's will indicate commercially valuable varieties they can include in their selections, and accept buds to root/graft into specimens in their nursery. If a tree shows commercial potential, Schmidt's will offer the same trademark royalties to any state chapter.
With successful initial test propagation and marketing, we are counting on long-term demand for higher quality trees to sustain the Project through the years of trial and error that lie ahead.
National Science Foundation Concept Paper
After Thanksgiving, Michigan member Frank Wheeler and NY chapter founder David Yarrow combined talents, and ideas of many others, in a 5-page Concept Paper submitted to the National Science Foundation. While discussions with NSF staff are still preliminary, the Concept Paper calls for the Project to ally itself with other tree and forest organizations to develop educational tools to teach ecological stewardship to American youth.
Through this winter, we will draft a funding proposal to meet NSF guidelines and criteria. We expect by spring to have a plan and budgets detailed to clarify cooperation with NSF to achieve the Project's preservation and education goals.
Maine: The 44.4 Botanical Conservatory
To finish our year, in December we heard from Maine, our northeastmost state. Bruce Sky Walker has begun a Living Library in his region, and will begin to organize a Maine chapter:
"We have a working botanical conservatory, cultivating champion trees and specimen plants which grow worldwide in this latitude. We are building a living heritage library to teach their intrinsic value, and to demonstrate different ways these botanicals are grown and used in other cultures and countries, including their mercantile value as fiber, paper, pulp, seeds, lumber, medicinal, herbal, ornamental, food value—as well as to find new uses.
"Our goal is to create new entrepreneurial activity in our immediate community and in North American arising from the profitable cultivation and marketing of these natural botanicals. We will increase public appreciation of these botanicals by introducing them in an attractive educational setting, thereby insuring the longevity of champion botanical stock for our grandchildren to enjoy and use.
"We are founding a Maine chapter of the Champion Tree Project, which recognizes the virtues and need to protect, preserve and propagate our Big Trees. The first Champion Tree sapling planted in Maine will be on these lands."
El Nino Disaster: Ice Storm of the Century
January 5, 1998 warm moist tropic air began to boil north in thick plumes to roll over a heavy arctic air mass stalled along the St. Lawrence Valley. Heavy rain fell through colder lower polar air, and, striking any object, froze instantly. For four days this weather stalled as inches of ice caked trees, cars, homes, bushes, streets from Lake Ontario to the St. Lawrence Gulf. Trees limbs were stripped, ripping down powerlines. In northern New York and New England, hundreds of thousands were without power in midwinter. A federal emergency was declared. In Canada, over 2 million were without power, including all of Montreal, in "the greatest natural disaster in Canadian history."
This unprecedented disaster highlights two reasons why the Project was founded.
First, these states made no effort to preserve their Champion Trees. Many were damaged in the storm, if not destroyed. Many that survived will weaken and die early deaths due to injuries. The trees and forests will show severe scars for a decade—probably longer.
Second, undoubtedly this bizarre weather was driven by Earth's growing thermal imbalance: global warming induced by greenhouse effect due to fossil fuel combustion emissions. The remedy to the overheated weather engine is to plant trees—the best trees we can find by the best method we can devise.
When spring planting time comes, these residents of northern woods will plant their trees with added import and urgency. Preserving their surviving Big Trees, planting new trees to replace those lost in the storm, and curbing global warming will not be distant news stories, but necessary activism.
First National Roundtable
Feb. 1, 1998 the Project celebrated Champion Tree Day and the first Florida chapter anniversary by hosting the first
National Roundtable in Sarasota. Hosted by Terry Mock, Zan Benham and the Accelerator Growers Assoc., Project organizers and supporters from several states gathered for three days of friendship, planning, brainstorming, and decisions.