Celebrate Arbor Week in Alabama! Help us find a Champion Tree in Birmingham

Alabama tree
Alabama Champion Tree, Southern Shagbark Hickory, photo fro Alabama Forestry Commission

This week, the Alabama Forestry Commission is encouraging all Alabamians to celebrate and observe Arbor Week February 19 to February 25. Proclamations, tree plantings, and seedling distributions will mark the week for most all the 82 communities recognized as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation across the State of Alabama.

Alabama trees
Geneva County’s Constitutional Oak is on the Alabama’s Historic Tree list

At Bham Now we want YOU, our readers, to help us celebrate Arbor Week by finding a Champion tree or Historical tree in Birmingham/Jefferson County and surrounding metro counties.

No Champion Trees in Jefferson County

According to the Alabama Forestry Commission, there are no State Champion Trees or Famous and Historical Trees from Jefferson County listed on the Commission’s state registries. In fact, there are very few listed in the surrounding counties.

Let’s change that.

Here is the criteria for both categories.

Champion Tree Program

A Champion Tree is the largest of its particular species in Alabama. The Forestry Commission uses a formula developed by American Forests to determine the size of a tree. The point system is figured as follows: one point for each inch of circumference, plus one point for each foot of height, plus one point for each four feet of average crown spread.

Tree Alabama
Champion Shumard Oak, photo courtesy of Alabama Forestry Commission

Famous and Historical Tree

Since 1981, the AFC has sponsored a program identifying trees of historic significance. It is called the Famous and Historic Tree Program. The program’s purpose is to locate, recognize, and preserve trees associated with or related to historic events, persons, and sites.

The following categories are use to determine eligibility of nominated trees:

Notable people
The development of the nation, state, county, or city
Eminent educators and/or educational institutions
Art, artists, literature and writers, law, music, science, or the cultural life of the nation, state, county, or city
Churches and religion
Early forestry and conservation

Learn how to submit nomination for the State Champion Trees – HERE and the Historical Trees – HERE.

28055663 10156049206001635 7065813054094836224 n Celebrate Arbor Week in Alabama! Help us find a Champion Tree in Birmingham
via Arbor Day Foundation
Send us your photos this week

Can’t find a famous tree?

Email us (pat@bhamnow.com) your favorite pictures of a tree(s) in the Birmingham Metro area and Alabama and we will publish our favorites on Saturday, February 24th. We must receive all entries by Friday, February 23rd at noon. All photos must be original. Please include the location of the tree.

Happy Arbor Week Birmingham!!

 

Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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