Vaughn: Tree nerd loves finding Champion trees
My family calls me a tree nerd. I consider it as a term of endearment, although it is laced with specks of sarcasm from the peanut gallery as they roll their eyes when I stop in the middle of the road to admire a massive Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood).
I do love trees, especially specimen trees. I am fascinated by finding the largest of these mega specimen trees in the state and possibly nation. It is what I consider fun, hence me being referred to as a “nerd.” The folks that document the largest trees in the Peach State is the Georgia Forestry Commission with its Georgia Champion Tree Program.
To be eligible for the Georgia Champion Tree Program, a species must be recognized as native or naturalized in the continental United States. Any naturalized tree species considered invasive according to the Georgia Invasive Species Task Force will not be considered. Some familiar trees that are on the invasive list that do not qualify are chinaberry, mimosa, sawtooth oak, Bradford pear and rose of Sharon. There is a complete list of non-qualifying trees on the gainvasives.org website.
Once the species itself qualifies, the tree must have an erect woody perennial stem or trunk and at least 9.5 inches in circumference measured 4.5 feet from the ground with a definitely formed crown of foliage and be at least 13 feet in total height. I can’t tell you how many times I have found a tape measure to check the circumference of a tree to see how it might compare to a Champion tree.
We have some amazing specimens in Augusta. About 15 years ago, I was down on Telfair Street and noticed a crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.) that was abnormally large. I didn’t have a tape with me and it was near my dad’s office, so I went in and found a yard stick to measure it. It was 72 inches in circumference at 4.5 feet off the ground. I went and checked the Georgia Champion Tree webpage, and the circumference was a good bit more than the existing state champion. I filled out a form and the Forestry Department came, measured it and a month later we had a ceremony honoring the tree. It was really cool. (My crape myrtle has been beat out by a tree in Fulton County since then, but it still isn’t a slouch).
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Richmond County currently has four trees on the Georgia Champion list (although one isn’t listed). Out near Windsor Spring is the largest red mulberry (Morus rubra) in the state. I was lucky enough to have the owners show it to me and take my picture next to/in this giant. It is a little beat up with age, but still had a circumference of 275 inches and still kicking. I had lunch with the owners a few weeks ago and they say it is still hanging in there.
A locally famous golf club has a Georgia Champion tree you don’t hear about called muku tree (Aphananthe aspera). It is an ornamental from China but isn’t considered invasive. You would really have to know your plants to be able to pick this tree out of a line up.
My friend and fellow tree lover, Roy Simkins, is one of the few I know that might be able to identify a muku. Back in 2017, Roy was super excited to nominate the largest turkey oak (Quercus laevis) in the state. It was overlooked for a long time because it is just sitting in the middle of a playground of a local nursery school. After Roy nominated the tree in Georgia, he also submitted it to the National Registry and it has been certified as the largest turkey oak in the nation.
The Head of Grounds for Augusta University, Scott Davis, nominated the largest deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara) in the state a few years ago. This beauty is on the northeast corner of the main entrance to AU’s Summerville Campus at Walton Way and Fleming. It is unbelievable. I blame technical difficulties on it not being on the Georgia Forestry Department’s web page this week, but we have a call into IT to get it straightened out.
There are a couple of other notables across the state I should mention. Georgia’s highest scoring tree is the live oak (Quercus virginiana) which is our state tree and is located in Waycross. This monster specimen is located in Waycross and scored 536 with a circumference of 420 inches, 77 feet in height and 155 feet in spread. Columbia County has the largest longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) in the state located on Fort Gordon. Since getting on to Fort Gordon isn’t always easy, you can go across the river to Aiken in Hitchcock Woods and find the national champion longleaf pine.
This tree nerd loves some big trees. You can nominate a tree by filling out an online form on the Georgia Forestry Commission’s web page and they will send someone out to do an official measurement. Keep an eye out, you might find one yourself.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Campbell Vaughn details the champion trees in the Augusta area
