National Champion American Elm Dies

American Forests
Monday, 9 June 2003

Several Big Tree Deaths Prompt National Search for New Champion Trees

American Forests, the nation's oldest citizens based environmental organization, announced today that the nations largest known American elm has died. Located in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, the elm was diagnosed with the deadly Dutch elm disease in 2001, a fungus spread by beetles that kills thousands of elm trees each year. For decades, the disease has been responsible for killing most of America's elm trees, making the search for a National Champion American Elm even more difficult than ever before. The national champion American elm in Michigan was listed on AMERICAN FORESTS' National Register of Big Trees since 1998.

AMERICAN FORESTS launched the National Register of Big Trees since 1940—a listing of the largest known trees in the United States. The register lists the biggest trees for 826 native and naturalized species in the continental United States and Alaska. The register relies on nominations from the public, and there are currently 99 species and six states without any big tree champs. Nomination forms and instructions can be downloaded from AMERICAN FORESTS' website.

Since the 2002/2003 National Register was released, several other national champs have died due to disease, storm damage, old age, and even vandalism:

• The National Champion Hackberry near Mason City, Illinois fell in April during a thunderstorm.
• The National Co-champion Cottonwood in Idaho died when it blew over in a storm, leaving a big tree in Nebraska as the sole title holder.
• The National Champion Longbeak Eucalyptus near Phoenix, Arizona, was killed when vandals lit fires around its trunk, burning its base. The vandals have not been caught.

To date, the General Sherman giant sequoia in California remains the nation's largest tree and the world's largest living thing. The impressive specimen is one of three trees that have remained on the Register since it began in 1940. The others are a Rocky Mountain juniper, called "Jardine Juniper," in Utah's Cache National Forest; and the Western juniper, or "Bennett Juniper," in California's Stanislaus National Forest. A fourth tree from the so-called "class of 1940"—Maryland's Wye Oak, a massive white oak—was toppled by a storm last June. Competition has been fierce to take the Wye Oak's place on the Register.

If so, AMERICAN FORESTS (americanforests.org) wants to know about it before July 1, 2003, the deadline for nominations to AMERICAN FORESTS' 2004/2005 National Register of Big Trees. In addition to those trees that have died this year, the organization is also looking for nominations for 99 species of tree without a champion.

The current 2002 National Register of Big Trees is available online at www.americanforests.org and features a searchable big tree database and Big Tree Trivia, which highlights facts such as the most notable trees, and state and regions with the most champs. In May, American Forests also added a Big Tree "Frequently Asked Questions" page at www.americanforests.org/resources/bigtrees/faq.php.

The Davey Tree Expert Company sponsors AMERICAN FORESTS' National Register of Big Trees and AMERICAN FORESTS' National Register of Big Trees Calendar. The Register, which is magazine quality—complete with beautiful images and detailed stories—is available for $7.95 or is free with a $25 donation to AMERICAN FORESTS, PO Box 2000, Washington, DC 20013.

For more information, or to contact American Forests, see their website at: www.americanforests.org