Florida Champion Live Oak Alachua County, Florida Girth: 360 inches — Height: 85 feet Crown Spread: 160 feet

The procedure to nominate a tree for Champion status has been standardized for most state Big Tree Lists and the National Register. As a minumum, ten items of information are required, and are listed below with helpful instructions. To make the nomination easy and uniform, you can download and print our simple, one page Nomination Form to fill out and mail to the appropriate agency. Please only use one Nomination Form for each tree you register.

Date Measured
Specify the date the tree was measured. Every few years, a champion tree should be re-measured to assess its growth. Also, some trees lose points due to damage from wind, ice storms or other injuries.

Species Identification
First, be careful to correctly identify the species. Correct species identification is crucial, and often a challenging task for folks, depending on the botanical family and species. Despite the best effort of everyone, it is not uncommon for a tree to be misidentified. When in doubt, enclose an exemplary leaf and/or twig with the Nomination Form.

If accurate species identification is difficult for you, or you are uncertain, contact your local Cooperative Extension, State Forester, U.S. Forest Service, or a local park.

Only native and naturalized species are included in the National Register and most state Big Tree Lists. There are 826 eligible species and varieties, of which 747 are native and 79 naturalized.

• Native (or indigenous) tree species are wild and grew naturally or spontaneously in the undisturbed forests of North America before Columbus or other Europeans arrived.
• Naturalized (or introduced) tree species are non-native, having been brought to North America and become common and established as though wild, reproducing naturally and spreading.
• Hybrid tree species and minor varieties are excluded. Occasionally, a state makes special exception to include an unnaturalized species that has gained a unique niche within that state.

The authority for determining eligibility is the 1978 USDA Forest Service Handbook 541 Checklist of United States Trees (Native and Naturalized) by Elbert L. Little, Jr. According to Little's Checklist, trees are defined as:

• woody plants having one erect perennial stem or trunk with at least 9 1/2 inch circumference (3 inch diameter) at breast height
• a definitely formed crown of foliage
• height of at least 13 feet

Measuring The Senator Florida Champion Baldcypress girth = 425 inches — height = 118 feet crown spread = 57 feet

Measurements
Three dimensons must be measured to determine the total point score for a tree: girth, height and average crown spread. Taking accurate measurements is the second most critical part of the nomination process, and usually the most difficult for inexperienced folks. And because trees vary so greatly in their structure and architecture, a careful set of rules have been developed to assure fairness and accuracy in all situations. Another webpage provides detailed measurement directions, or you can click on an individual measurement below.

Girth
Girth (circumference) is the easiest measurement to make in most cases. Circumference must be measured in inches at breast height, defined as 4.5 feet above ground level. Foresters commonly measure "diameter at breast height" (dbh), but big trees are scored by their circumference, not diameter. A few conditions require special procedures, such as trees on steep slopes and multi-stem trees.

Height
Height of a tree is the vertical distance between the center of the base and the topmost twig. This measurement can be complicated when a tree doesn't sit on level ground, especially steep slopes, or if the tree is leaning. This measurement can also be diificult in a forest where other trees obscure a clear view of the base and crown of a tree.

Accurate, reliable measurement of a big tree's height usually requires some kind of tool, such as an Abney hand level, Forest Service hypsometer, transit, clinometer, or other instrument. However, in the absence of these tools, an approximate measure can be taken with a straight rule, a tape measure and some simple trigonometry.

Many states require a forester or authorized cooperator to visit the tree and verify your measurements before the tree is officially entered in the state's Big Tree List. This helps assure not only the accuracy of measurements, but the species identification and location. Check with your state's representative.

Average Crown Spread
Average Crown Spread can be the most complex measurement. This requires marking the on the ground the spread of the outermost limbs of the tree's crown. The distance between the farthest and closest marks are measured, added and divided by two to compute the average of the widest and narrowest spread of limbs.

Total Points
Total Points is computed by a standard formula defined as the Girth (in inches) plus Height (in feet) plus one quarter the Average Crown Spread.

Volume
Volume is often used by foresters to assay the size of specimen trees, and is considered valuable data, since it indicates the actual quantity of lumber available from a tree. When two trees are in competition for champion status and the above measurements and standard formula can't resolve the conflict, volume measurements can determine the champion. Volume measurements were used to resolve the Florida Champion Baldcypress. Another example is the current controversy between The Senator, the Florida Champion Baldcypress, and Old Cat, the Louisiana Champion (see Orlando Sentinel, June 10, 2001). This method is also valuable to rank extra-ordinarily large trees such as giant sequoia, redwood, Douglas fir, western red cedar, and other trees of the west coast temperate rainforest.

National Champion White Ash Palisades, New York Girth = 304 inches — Height = 95 feet Crown Spread = 82 feet

Location
Provide a written description of the tree's location, including its distance and direction from significant landmarks, especially the nearest road or stream. If helpful, also include a sketch map.

Owners
Provide the name, address and phone number of the owner(s) of the property on which the tree is located.

Description of Condition
Briefly describe the tree's condition, especially any unusual and distinguishing features, and factors related to its health and vigor.

Nominators
Provide your own name, address and phone number.

Photograph
Whenever possible, provide one or more photos of the tree. Include captions, credits and dates on each photo. It is usually helpful to include a human figure in a photo to provide a sense of scale and proportion. For very large trees, take at least one wide angle view of the entire crown, and a second close-up of the base of the trunk.

Where to File
If you are sure your tree is a National Champion, you can send your Nomination Form directly to American Forests.

However, it is usually better to file with your state Big Tree List first, since your tree may only be a State Champion. Every two years, the National Register is compiled from these state Big Tree Lists, so any tree registered as a State Champion will be considered for National Champion.

International Society of Arboriculture P.O. Box GG Savoy, IL 61874-9902 217-355-9411 fax: 217-355-9516 www.ag.uiuc.edu/~isa

Consult the Directory of State Coordinators to locate the individual in each state who maintains that state's Big Tree List. Send your completed Nomination Form, photograph and leaf or twig specimens to the person listed in the Directory. We try to keep this Directory up-to-date, but if you discover errors or changes, please notify our webmaster David Yarrow.