LARGO, Florida—The Florida Botanical Gardens at the Pinecrest Cultural Center will soon be host site for a new strategy in forestry and nursery practice. Beginning next year, the Gardens will be home to Florida’s biggest, best and oldest trees.
The Florida Champion Tree Project has announced that the Gardens will become the statewide headquarters for their unique tree preservation initiative. This will include planting an Archival Living Library of Florida’s Champion Trees.
Terry Mock, Vice President of the Florida Champion Tree Project, said, "This important step will assure the health of Florida’s future forests. We must begin the new millennium with a more effective sustainable stewardship of our trees."
"The Gardens will be a center for state-of-the-art efforts to keep our state green," said Mr. Mock, who is also marketing director for Accelerator Growers Association and founder of the Florida Native Plant Society.
The Gardens were created as "an oasis of green" and to "showcase nature’s beauty." Another mission of the Gardens is to provide educational environments for all ages. A Living Library of Champion Trees will be a centerpiece of that effort, and will anchor the environmental design.
Judy Yates, Director of the Gardens, said. "Planting an Archival Living Library here is a great honor—for our Gardens, and for the trees. This wonderful opportunity allows the Gardens to be a leader in the next generation of conservation efforts. As we get wiser about caring for our natural resources, the Gardens will be a research and education center for new sustainable methods."
A Champion Tree is the biggest tree of its species, as measured by its height, circumference and crown spread. A formula is used to score each tree, and the tree with the highest total points is the Champion.
Since 1949 American Forests, a national non-profit conservation group in Washington, DC, has kept a National Register of Big Trees. The 1998 Register lists over 840 species with a recognized National Champion.
Clearwater arborist and Project member Loren Westenberger said, "These trees are magnificent. Anyone can appreciate the beauty and grandness of these huge specimens. And the Champion is usually the oldest of its species, too. Some are ancient."
With 156 National Champions, Florida ranks first in number of all states. The state has so many due to its many climate zones, including a unique Caribbean subtropic. Also, Florida has many collections of exotic plants in numerous botanical gardens.
Dr. Daniel Ward, horticulture professor at Florida State University, compiles the Florida Big Tree List. He visits, measures and photographs every Florida Champion. In 1996, he published his research as the book "Big Trees: The Florida Register."
Among its entries are "The Senator," a colossal baldcypress at Big Tree Park in the heart of Spring Hammock that is 118 foot high and 425 inches in circumference.
Another is a massive sand live oak in Gainesviile—94 feet tall, 181 inch in girth and 100 foot crown spread.
But Florida’s biggest is a Camphor-Tree in Darby, only 67 feet tall, but with a 35 foot girth (11 foot diameter).
"With 156 National Champions, Florida has a responsibility to lead the way," said Terry Mock, "and demonstrate enlightened stewardship of our natural resources. We are blessed with an abundance of sunshine, but we must more wisely manage our tree resources."
The Florida Champion Tree Project was established in February 1997 to identify, protect, preserve, propagate and plant Florida’s Champion Trees. The Project is a nonprofit membership organization that relies on the work of volunteers and charitable donations. Membership is $50 a year. Recently the Project was awarded two grants to promote its work in south Florida.
The Project harvests seeds and cuttings from Champion trees and propagates them into new sapling trees. Seedling trees are distributed to schoolchildren to plant in Arbor Day celebrations. Cuttings are rooted, and therefore contain the pure and true genetics of its Champion parent. These cloned cuttings are the key to the Project’s preservation strategy.
"Cloning these trees has never been done before," said Terry Mock. "We tested two trees in 1997 to show this can be done. In 1998, we tried to root tissue from 20 Florida Champions, but to date only nine were successful."
Mr. Mock is working closely with Florida’s nusery industry to propagate these trees. Already eight of the state’s largest nurseries committed to grow cloned champion trees. In two or three years the Project expects to have the first thousand trees to distribute.
Jim Henry of Butterflies Are Free Nursery, said, "We’re excited to grow these trees and help preserve our biggest trees. The nursery industry is always looking for superior trees. In this instance, what’s good for business is good for the environment. Champion trees are the future of nursery industry."
Beginning the year 2000, The Project will begin planting clones of Florida’s 156 National Champions on the grounds of the Florida Botanical Gardens. These plantings will serve as public showcase for Florida’s finest, oldest trees. They will also be a genetic archive available for scientists to study, and an educational resource to teach about trees and forests.
"Florida Botanical Gardens will be a guardian of genetic biodiversity. The Living Library will ancnor an exemplary tree education program," said Loren Westenberger.
"People will come here to see Florida’s best trees, and learn to appreciate our state’s tremendous diversity of tree resources," agreed Terry Mock.
The Project will begin planting Living Libraries at other sites: Pan’s Garden in West Palm Beach, Peace River Elementary School in Port Charlotte, and Pigeon Key Historic Site near Marathon. Additional sponsors are being sought to set aside land for these preservation plantings.
With chapters in Florida, Michigan and New York, the Project has a global mission. Every nation needs to preserve and propagate their best trees.
The long term goal is to raise funds to reforest the United States as a way to mitigate the negative effects of global warming due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases.
"Cloning these trees has never been done before," said Terry Mock. "We tested two trees in 1997 to show this can be done. In 1998, we tried to root tissue from 20 Florida Champions, but to date only nine were successful."
Mr. Mock is working closely with Florida’s nusery industry to propagate these trees. Already eight of the state’s largest nurseries committed to grow cloned champion trees. In two or three years the Project expects to have the first thousand trees to distribute.
"In the face of global warming, trees are our best friends," said Loren Westenberger. "Growing trees remove carbon dioxide—a greenhouse gas—out of the air. Planting trees is the easiest, safest and surest way to reduce climate change in the next century."
"Anyone can do it," insisted Loren. "Everyone should do it." Loren is also on the board of Plant-It 2000, a nationwide tree planting group started by the late John Denver.
for more information on the Florida Chapter of the Champion Tree Project contact Terry Mock |
for the book of Florida’s Champion Trees:
BIG TREES: The Florida Register
by Daniel B. Ward and Robert T. Ing
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