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Champion Trees Can Be In Your Backyard [Image: champion bald cypress]Champion trees can be found in your backyard or even front yard. Recently, I went to look at a pear tree with Ron Worrell on Dr. Tipton McNight’s property near Clinton. The pear tree had been damaged by a large branch that had fallen out of a winged elm. After looking at the pear tree, I started to look at the winged elm and realized that it was a BIG winged elm.  The measurements were 12 feet in circumference, 62 feet tall and a crown spread of 72 feet. The present champion winged elm in Louisiana is only 8 feet 8 inches in circumference and 59 feet tall. McNight’s elm scores 236 points as compared to 180 points of the existing champion. McNight’s winged elm will be the new state champion when the Louisiana Forestry Association publishes the new list next spring.  Several other state champion trees can be found in people’s yards in the area. The co-champion Carolina basswood is in the front yard of Roger Slater home on Bank Street in Clinton. The champion southern catalpa was in the backyard of the home next to the Democrat newspaper office in St Francisville. This tree recently was decertified, however, because of the crown dying. The state champion and new national champion live oak is in the front yard of a home in Mandeville. The cherrybark oak champion was in the backyard of a home in Zachary. Unfortunately, Hurrican[Image: catalpa tree]e Gustav put it on the ground along with a few other potential champions.  In Louisiana, the program for championship trees is sponsored by the Louisiana Forestry Association. It is affiliated with the national program run by American Forests. A tree must be a native or naturalized species to be nominated. The circumference of the trunk at 4.5 feet, the height and the average crown spread are measured and used to determine if the tree is a champion. The LFA keeps of list of state champion trees and how to measure them on their Web site: www.laforestry.com. Select Forest Facts and then Champion Trees to see the list.  If you think you have a tree that could be a champion, call Brian Chandler in his LSU AgCenter office at (225) 683-3101. He can tell you what the present champion measures or if there is even a champion of that species. There are many species that do not have a champion right now. These include sweet pecan, green ash, yaupon, cottonwood, shumard oak, bluebeech, hophornbeam, redbud and boxelder.  You never know when you might spot a new champion tree when out in the woods or driving through town.

Last Updated: 11/18/2008 3:40:38 PM