The Senator Florida Champion Baldcypress Big Tree Park, Longwood, Florida girth = 425 inches — height = 118 feet crown spread = 57 feet estimated age = 3,500 years

LONGWOOD, Florida—Andrew Kittsley smiled as the fernlike leaves floated down like feathers at Big Tree Park. From atop the state's largest baldcypress, Kittsley was doing his part to clone the mighty tree.

Kittsley, Orlando's urban forester, was one of hree climbers to scale the tree to take cuttings Sunday morning as part of the Florida Champion Tree Project. Project workers hope to clone many of the state's largest trees and eventually market replicas at nurseries around the country, said Terry Mock, vice president of the tree project.

"By finding superior individual plants and duplicating them genetically, you can guarantee its offspring will be identical to it," Mock said.

Champion trees are the largest of their variety. Arborists think champion trees, the largest living organisms on the planet, probably have the resistance to disease, faster growth rates, and superior structure. By cloning the tree, the duplicates will have those same superior qualities, Mock said.

"The Senator" certainly fits the bill. The tree, in Big Tree Park in the heart of Spring Hammock, is 118 feet tall and has a 425-inch circumference. Its crown spreads 57 feet.

The tree was named for Florida Senator M. O. Overstreet, who donated the tree and its surrounding land to Seminole County in 1951. The American Forest Association estimated in 1946 that the tree was about 3,500 years old.

Luke Hill, 33, was the first one to the top of the tree Sunday. The free-lance climber said he waited a long time for the opportunity.

"I really enjoyed it," said Hill, sweat dripping from his face. "It's the tallest tree I've ever climbed."

Hill and Mock had planned the climb for more than a year, Hill said. Once on top, Hill said, he had a clear view of his surroundings and could see downtown Orlando, a dozen miles away.

"You could see for days out there," he said.

Plants have been cloned for decades, Mock said. Ecerything from grocery vegetables to champion roses are clones, he said. The Florida Champion Tree Project, in conjunction with the Accelerator Growers Association, hopes to use the same techniques to clone other trees.

Cuttings from "The Senator" will go to nurseries, which will attempt to root them. Generally, 20 to 30 percent of the cuttings survive, Mock said. Those that grow into trees become "mother stock," which is harvested for additional plantings.

The success rate from the mother stock can be as high as 90 percent, Mock said. Those trees are then grown and sold in nurseries. If successful, "Senator Cypress" trees could be available within ten years, he said.