The call to find and save America’s biggest trees came in the September 1940 issue of American Forests, where Joseph Sterns, a concerned forester, published his article “Let’s Find and Save the Biggest trees.” Within the same issue, American Forests published a call to action that read: “WANTED! The Location and Measurement of the Largest Specimen of the Following American Tree Species.” With the first nomination of the Chestnut Oak in Suffield, Connecticut highlighted in the October issue, American Forests’ members began their search for the largest tree species to be named champion.

The Big Tree program had much help from Frederick W. Besley, Maryland state forester and an American Forests director for 18 years. Besley shared Maryland’s rules, which we still use today:

“three standard measurements as more nearly giving a true evaluation of the size of trees, namely the circumference of the trunk at 4 ˝ feet from the ground, which would take it beyond root swell, the greatest diameter of spread of branches in feet in a line that would touch the trunk of the tree and third, the height of the tree in feet.”

Since 1940, only three trees have held their national championship status to this day – Rocky Mountain Juniper, Western Juniper, and the General Sherman Giant Sequoia.

The program that simply began as “American Big Trees” with 77 National Champions became the “Social Register of Big Trees” in 1961, with 355 National Champions in 42 states and the District of Columbia. In 1969, a Hawaii edition of the register was produced, recognizing exotic American species and trees native to the last state acquired in the Union. The Big Tree program saw another change in 1978 when the name of the program changed to the “National Register of Big Trees,” and there was yet another increase in champions.

By caring for the national champion Seven Sisters live oak in Lewisburg, Louisiana, The Davey Tree Expert Company showed that they were the perfect candidate to care for all national champs. With a new sponsorship from Davey in 1989, the National Register of Big Trees has been able to reach a wider audience and educate them all about the importance of trees.

Over time, public participation has grown, drawing attention to the importance of preserving our living landmarks. Since the first full list of 228 species was published in January 1945, the program has grown and thrived, and most recently produced a Register with 733 of the largest tree species in the United States.

After 70 years, the message of the Big Tree program remains the same: regardless of size, all trees are champions of the environment.