Champion Trees of Washington Park Arboretum

What is a Champion Tree?

A Champion Tree is the biggest tree of its species in either circumference, height, or spread (how far the branches spread out to either side). Their measurements are given a point valuation in American Forest Points and then sent to either the state, national, or international registry who all keep track of Champion Trees with the highest point values in each species. There are four basic qualifiers for what can be called a Champion Tree in Washington State. They must be a “native or non-invasive naturalized plant” and have “one erect perennial stem or trunk at least 3 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground” as well as “a more or less definitely formed crown of foliage” and finally, “a height of at least 13 feet”.

Okay, they’re big. So what?

Champion Trees are important for a few reasons. The first is that the program can get people to pay attention to trees. That may not sound like a big ask but humans are surprisingly oblivious to their surroundings, to the point where there is a name for it. “Plant Blindness” which is one’s inability to notice the plants around you, is a major problem, especially in these modern times. The Champion Trees program calls for anyone, citizen or scientist, to submit a possible Champion Tree, encouraging people to actually look and see what is around them.

Another reason the Champion Tree program is important is that it calls upon anyone to submit measurements. This means that anyone, regardless of profession, can discover the largest tree of its species and submit it to the tree registry. This encouragement of civilian science is incredibly important as there are not many opportunities for average, everyday citizens to “get their hands dirty” in a scientific effort. While it seems that civilian science is becoming more common with organizations such as The Xerces Society engaging people to help, there are still vast areas of, particularly, natural science where the common people can get involved.

Finally, Champion Trees are important because of what they represent as far as ecological impact. These are generally very large trees and often quite old ones. This means that they have an outsized impact on the environment around them, as well as being huge carbon sinks (meaning they suck in and hold on to carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere). Monitoring and being aware of them filters down into monitoring the environment around them, even if the trees are nonnative. These trees can serve as red flags if something is going wrong with the environment. They also help inform our decisions for what gets placed around them.

How is this related to the Arboretum?

The University of Washington Botanic Gardens and Washington Park Arboretum is home to at least 75 Champion Trees. These are just the ones that have been measured an confirmed to be Champion Trees at some point. We’re currently in the process of updating the measurements to ensure that those trees are still Champions. That said, if you see a tree that you think might be a Champion Tree, let us know! We can either confirm that it is one or give you guidance on how to measure it. For more information on Champion Trees, what measurements are required, and more, please visit the Champion Tree Registry for Washington and Oregon.

Note: Brandy continued progress of our State Champion Tree project from 2022 BES 495 colleague, Jit Singh Roopra

We will soon submit our complete list of new measurements to our State Champion Tree registry.