Historical Registers | National Champion Tree Program

The NCTP is proud to present the historical Registers of National Champion Trees, dating back to the first Big Tree Report released in 1941 and the first call for nominations in 1940. These Registers span over 80 years of Big Tree history, giving us context for how those who came before us appreciated our gentle giants.

As you explore the National Registers of Big Trees of the past, we invite you to imagine: what will the Register of National Champion Trees look like 80 years from now, past the year 2100? Which trees will still have the crown, and what new Champions will be recognized? For trees like the National Champion Rocky Mountain Juniper, which is documented at 1,500 years old, another 80 years is just a drop in the bucket.

For us, and for our grandparents, and for our grandchildren’s grandchildren – Long Live Our Champion Trees!

1940

Let’s Find and Save the Biggest Trees

1941

The First Big Tree Report

Report on American Big Trees for 1941

1945

Report on American Big Trees for 1945

1946

Report on American Big Trees for 1946

1951

Report on American Big Trees for 1951

1955 & 1956

Report on American Big Trees for 1955 & 1956

1961

American Foresty Association Social Register of Big Trees for 1961

Name change from “Report on American Big Trees” to “AFA’s Social Register of Big Trees”.

1966

American Forestry Association Social Register of Big Trees for 1966

1967

American Forestry Association Social Register of Big Trees for 1967

1969

American Forestry Association Social Register of Big Trees for 1969

First time that Hawaiian Champion Trees were published.

1971

American Forestry Association Social Register of Big Trees for 1971

1973

American Forestry Association Social Register of Big Trees for 1973

First time the points system is mentioned in the Register:

“Determination of bigness in trees is based on three measurements; the circumference of the tree in inches, measured at a point 4½ feet from the ground, the height of the tree in feet and one-fourth of the total width of the crown spread in feet. These are added to give a single figure denoting aggregate size, with circumference as the No. 1 factor, followed by height and spread.”

1974

Champion Trees of Hawaii – May, 1974

American Forestry Association Social Register of Big Trees – June 1974

First time the “Size Factor” (later becomes “Champion Tree Points”) was published in the register alongside the measurements.

Hawaiian Champion Trees published for the first time since 1969 (five years prior).

1976

American Forestry Association Social Register of Big Trees for 1976

1978

American Forestry Association National Register of Big Trees for 1978

Name change from “A.F.A.’s Social Register of Big Trees” to the “A.F.A. National Register of Big Trees”

1980

Supplement to the National Register of Big Trees for 1980

1982

American Forestry Association National Register of Big Trees for 1982

As of this publication, hybrids were no longer recognized as eligible species.

1984

American Forestry Association National Register of Big Trees for 1984

1986

American Forestry Association National Register of Big Trees for 1986

Due to a publishing error, the Co-Champions were omitted from the April 1986 National Register of Big Trees. The “National Register Co-Champions” list was published in the July 1986 issue with a heartfelt apology.

1988

American Forestry Association National Register of Big Trees for 1988

Up to this point, the Co-Champions rule was that the contender must be within 5 points of the leader for them to be declared Co-Champions. An exception was made to this rule for the Sitka Spruce nominated by Robert Van Pelt. The Director at the time, Deborah Gangloff, is quoted later in this issue of AF Magazine as saying, “Although the 20-point spread [between the nominated Sitka Spruce and the current Champion] is greater than the five-point maximum difference required to officially recognize a tree as a co-champion, I have decided to make an exception in this case. With trees of this overall size, five points is too minuscule a difference to withhold recognition of such a distinctive specimen. This co-champion will be so noted in the National Register.”

Furthermore, this publication in American Forests Magazine only included those Champions that had been updated or changed since the last publication of the Register in 1986. The full register was presented as a report to the American Forestry Association as part of their Resource Policy Reader Series in May 1988.

1990

50th Birthday of Big Trees

1990 marked the 50^th anniversary of the National Register of Big Trees.

1992

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 1992

The Co-Champions rule continues to evolve in this Register, as well as the assertion of General Sherman as the largest tree in the United States:

In the 1992 Register, Whit Bronaugh calls for comments on the following: “Traditionally, trees within flue points of each other are designated co-champions. Since five points to the 1,017-point coast redwood is negligible, and five points to the 25-point American snowbell is one-fifth of its total score, a percentage difference in points (or cubic feet for volume) may be more appropriate for determining co-champions, especially of the largest species. A large percentage, say five percent or more, would greatly increase the number of co-champions, thus diluting the championship status. Where should we draw the line?”

The official ruling on General Sherman is in the 1992 issue as well, as this was the year General Grant was officially nominated: “Hear Ye, Hear Ye! As will be noted in subsequent Big Tree Program publications, the AFA formula will be used in all cases except where accurate volume figures can be supplied for both the current champion and the challenger.”

1994

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 1994

1996

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 1996

1998

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 1998

2000

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2000

Six trees were removed as National Champions for this Register due to stricter enforcement of the multi-stem rule that existed at this time, which was that if a tree forks below 4.5 feet, only the largest single stem above that level should be measured.

This predates the creation of the “functional circumference” rule, which is in place as of 2025: measure each of the trunks’ circumferences as close to 4.5’ as possible, square each measurement, add all squared measurements together, and then take the square root of the sum. Currently, our guidance is to measure multi-stem trees both at the smallest “waist” below the split and with functional circumference, and to submit the smaller of these two numbers.

2002

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2002

2004

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2004

2006

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2006

2008

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2008

2010

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2010

2010 marks the first year that the Register was exclusively shared online and not in print. Readers of AF Magazine that were huge fans of the Register were vocally disappointed – many Letters to the Editor were received, and a couple were published in the Winter 2011 issue of American Forests Magazine:

“As a lifetime member and ardent big tree enthusiast, who has followed AMERICAN FORESTS’ commendable Champion Tree Program, I was distressed to find that the 2010 Register was not being published. I have Registers going back to 1966, and have searched for champion trees in Montgomery County and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, hoping someday to get my name listed as a nominator. This finally happened with my nomination of a national champion cockspur hawthorn. I was so excited to finally find a champion, and to know that my own Montgomery County, MD has four national champions, that I drove downtown to purchase a half-dozen copies, only to learn that it would only be available online. I think this is a terrible mistake and a great disappointment to many people like me, who are fervently interested in our country’s big trees.

Joe Howard

Silver Spring, MD

American Forests, I have been a member of AMERICAN FORESTS for several years. I am writing now to urge you to issue a printed edition of the 2010-2011 National Register of Big Trees. After years of searching, I am happy to say that I nominated the current National Champion California black oak and blue oak. I was so looking forward to having the printed copy of the National Register to show my family and friends. While the online Register is a great resource, the more tangible copy offers some advantages. For example, I often refer to printed copies of prior National Register to see the changes in champion trees over time, and get a perspective on what “champion size” is for a particular species. These options are not available in the online Register. I sincerely hope that AMERICAN FORESTS will continue its long tradition of printing the National Register of Big Trees. The Champion Tree program is a terrific one, and I am proud to have contributed to the 2010 list of champions.

Carl Casey

Big Tree Hunters, Yosemite Chapter

Gentlemen, Thank you both, and to others we have heard from, for your passion and commitment to big trees, and to the success of the National Big Tree Program. We made the decision to go all digital with the 2010 Register both to save money and increase its availability. The print edition is equivalent in work and cost to producing a fifth magazine issue. and we have been doing it every other year, even with declining revenues. In addition to adding new features to the website to make it easier for more people to learn about champion trees, we also posted a complete 40-page version of the Register online, which can be downloaded and hole-punched to fit a 3-ring binder. Individual pages and sections can also be printed. Our goal with the big tree program is to encourage appreciation and protection for these monarchs, to promote conservation, and increase awareness of the importance of trees large and small.

This spring we will present the first annual update of the list in the history of the 70-year program. In the meantime, we are seeking ways to provide the Register in multiple formats. We welcome continued suggestions for ways to meet your needs, grow this program, and showcase these magnificent trees so that the National Register is current, appealing, and easily accessible for everyone.

Dan Smith

Editor & VP”

2011

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2011

This year, the Register published online did not include any articles or pictures, just a spreadsheet of the list of Champions. Articles/Letters to the Editor about Champion Trees from the Autumn and Winter 2011 AF Magazines are included in this PDF as supplemental materials.

2012

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2012

According to the message from the CEO, this Register marks the official inclusion of native Hawaiian species and a showcase of Alaskan trees. Sheri Shannon completed a substantial overhaul of the program, including “new nomination requirements, new eligible species information, new measuring guidelines, and the announcement of the formation of Big Tree Working Groups.” (p. 5)

2014

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2014

This Register marks the first time that non-native species were included in the Eligible Species List.

“American Forests has opened up the list of eligible species on the National Register of Big Trees to include non-native species. This means that nominations of new species from the public that meet the requirements under this new definition of eligibility will be accepted for the fall 2014 register.

The new rule states:

Eligible species must be recognized as either native, non-native, naturalized or a recognized naturally occurring variety in the United States. Hybrids, cultivars, ornamentals and unclassified varieties are excluded. American Forests has based this list on sources such as the USDA PLANTS Database and the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Native, non-native and naturalized are defined as:

Native (indigenous) – A native tree is one that occurs naturally in an area that was not introduced intentionally or unintentionally by human activity.

Non-native (non-indigenous) – A non-native tree is one that occurs in an area that was introduced intentionally or unintentionally by human activity.

Naturalized: A naturalized tree is a non-native species that has become common in unmanaged areas and is able to reproduce and maintain itself without human assistance.

The classification of various species as invasive is not consistent across state boundaries, since each species does not always exhibit invasive characteristics in every location. State coordinators shall decide whether a nominated tree fits the definition of invasive in their state and therefore exclude that species from nomination to the National Register.”

2017

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2017

There are no records in the NCTP Archives of Registers being published, online or in print, from 2015-2016. In 2017, we have a single Excel spreadsheet of the Register of Champion Trees, presumably published online that year.

2019

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2019

2020

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2020

2021

American Forests National Register of Big Trees for 2021

The 2021 Register was the last official Register published by American Forests. Starting in 2022, American Forests sunset their Champion Tree operations and began seeking a new home for the program.

The program officially moved to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in September of 2023. One final Register using American Forests’ rules and guidelines was published by the National Champion Tree Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in late 2024.

2024

National Champion Tree Program Register of Champion Trees for 2024

The 2024 Register of National Champion Trees is the first one created post-transition of the program from American Forests to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. It expands past the spreadsheets that had been published during the last few years of the American Forests Champion Tree program to include articles from “Big Tree Hunters”, introduces the National Cadre of Tree Measurement Experts to serve as a source of expertise and fair judgement of the measurement of potential and current National Champion Trees, and features a special list of the Puerto Rico Champion Trees to officially welcome the first U.S. Territory into the program with the full inclusion of Puerto Rico planned for the 2026 Register.

It also marks the change from an annual list back to a bi-annual list (released every two years), the formal inclusion of the volume rule from 1992, and the first printed version of the Register since 2010.