Silver Buttonwood
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Silver Buttonwood |
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RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART, Sarasota, Florida—Cloned cultivars from the National Champion green and silver buttonwood trees were planted at the National Millennium Arbor Day Celebration on Saturday, April 29th, 2000. The tree planting is part of a continuing effort by the non-profit Florida Champion Tree Project to protect, propagate and plant a genetic legacy of our largest and best trees.
A champion tree is defined as the largest specimen of its species and Florida has more than any other state: 172. Many champion trees are remnants of original old growth forest that covered the state and was cut down to make way for farming and development. The Florida Champion Tree Project contracted a private tree nursery group, the Accelerator Growers Association (AGA), to grow clones of selected champion trees to help reforest the state's urban areas.
Terry Mock
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The Millennium Tree Trail was created to display many of the landscape trees suitable to Florida and parts of the southeast United States. This unique new element to the Ringling Museum grounds was created by members of a committee organized the National Millennium Arbor Day Celebration. The idea of a tree trail was conceived by Jack Gurney, longtime Sarasota resident and writer. Many trees were donated by individuals and organizations.
The National Millennium Arbor Day Celebration was a White House Millennium Council project to foster the establishment and care of trees, gardens and open spaces in cities and communities nationwide. The purpose is to recognize the importance of trees in making our urban environments more livable and sustainable.
In Washington, DC, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Richard
Rominger unveiled the design for a Millennium Grove of 100 historic trees. This
first millennium grove fulfills a promise made last year by Agriculture
Secretary Dan Glickman to establish these historical groves in the Capitols of
each state as symbols of the USDA's commitment to the urban re-greening of
America. "This grove will stand as a lasting reminder of our nation's rich urban
forestry tradition and as a renewed commitment to urban regreening in the 21st
Century," said Glickman. 
Trees are among the oldest living entities in the U.S., and have social, community and environmental benefits. Some Ponderosa Pines in southwest mountains are more than 4,000 years old. Some Live Oaks in the southeast have been around since colonial days. Most people enjoy a comfortable, secure feeling when under a magnificent shade tree that is hard to define.
The Millennium Groves initiative, run by USDA's Forest Service
and its Urban and Community Forestry program, provides more than $30 million in
grants and technical assistance annually to local governments, grass roots
organizations, community groups, and associations for the restoration of urban
green infrastructure. The Administration asked Congress to provide permanent
funding for this important program. The Washington, DC grove is sited at
historic Fort Stanton Park, in the Anacostia neighborhood. The grove was
designed by the American Society of Landscape Architects and the trees purchased
by USDA from American Forest's collection of famous and historic trees. To date,
35 other states and territories planted millennium groves. 
The trees planted Saturday on Sarasota Bay at the Millennium Tree Trail were cloned from the national champion green and silver buttonwood trees, which were the first trees cloned by the Florida Champion Tree Project. The champion green buttonwood is located on Palm Beach island and is hundreds of years old. The champion silver buttonwood was located on the island of Key West until it was blown down by two hurricanes and killed this past year. Both green and silver buttonwoods are salt and drought tolerant native trees with a Florida coastal range from Jensen Beach to the south end of Tampa Bay.
Signage throughout the tree trail describes the individual trees. It has been designed as an educational experience for citizens. Within the Tree Trail, the trees are grouped according to micro-environmental conditions. Trees in low lying areas are tolerant of poorer drainage, while those in upland zones require better drainage. Trees near the bay are those that are tolerant of salt.
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Silver Buttonwood |
Champion tree clones are trademarked ChampTrees™ by the Florida Champion Tree Project and will eventually be available for purchase by the public. A royalty from the sale of each tree will be returned to the Florida Champion Tree Project for use in tree promotion, education and research. The ChampTrees™ were donated to the National Millennium Arbor Day Celebration by Terry Mock, Executive Director of the Champion Tree Project Internatinal and the AGA. Terry is co-founder of the Florida Native Plant Society, Vice President of the USDA South Florida Community Urban Resources Partnership, and sits on the Florida Urban Forestry Council.
The Florida Champion Tree Project, Inc.
Locating, Identifing, Protecting and Propagating
Florida's Champion
Trees
ChampTree@bigplanet.com
http://www.championtrees.org/