Welcome to 'The Show' - Brief Article

American Forests, Spring, 2000 by Michelle Robbins

For trees, there's only one version of the Major Leagues. Grab a scorecard and enjoy.

In baseball they call the Major Leagues "The Show," and for the players, it's a chance to strut their stuff for the world to see. In the spring we have our own version of The Show at AMERICAN FORESTS. But around here the "big time" means Big Tree time, when we pause to applaud the best and the biggest of 826 species of native and naturalized trees.

It's pretty amazing when you think about it: Scores of citizens go out and hunt for trees whose height, circumference, and crown spread make them genetic All Stars. Katie Byrne, our big tree coordinator, takes those nominations, sends them to state coordinators to verify, and then starts tallying.

We're delighted to present the results: the new millennium's first crop of novice, familiar, and reinstated champs. Rest assured that in this, AMERICA FORESTS' 125th year, we've left no crown spread unmeasured in our search to bring you the best of the big trees for 2000. Get set for an arboreal blockbuster worthy of a Hollywood premiere. It has:

* Suspense: Will the reinstated Darlington oak ("Clippings," Winter 1999) retain its title?

* Glamour: Clint Eastwood made our day by agreeing to pose with his newly crowned champ and talking about his roots (Register, page 14).

* Drama: Who won our first-ever photo contest? (page 25)

* Intrigue: Which trees reign biggest east of the Mississippi? (page 34)

(We're short on good old-fashioned romance, but I don't want to carry this too far. So I'll just say that throughout the Register we also profile some prolific big tree hunters who have an inordinate fondness--and knack--for finding champion trees.)

Be sure you note our slimmed-down species without champs list. We urged people to help us eliminate that list, and while we knew it was a long shot to totally eradicate it, the list shrank by 44--from 137 to 93--no small task. An especial thanks to those who helped us find these trees.

Efforts to find species without champs yielded an unexpected bonus: co-champion key tree cacti, one of only four officially endangered trees in the Register. It's appearance this time--the first-ever for this tree--leaves the Santa Cruz cypress as the Register's lone "championless" endangered tree. A worthy goal for next time!

We're also celebrating efforts to protect another "endangered" tree of sorts: the national cochampion smoketree, which Purdue University has announced it will move from land slated for a major construction project (see Clippings).

Spring, of course, means more than just Big Trees and baseball. Stepping up to the plate in April are Earth Day, the 30th annual celebration of what sustains and nourishes us, and Arbor Day, a former AMERICAN FORESTS president's way of reminding people about the importance of planting trees.

We think J. Sterling Morton and Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson would be pleased that people now recognize how vital trees are in solving many of our environmental problems, including one of our most pervasive: sprawl.

This year as you celebrate these two important dates, take a moment to recognize where the tree you plant fits into the world today. Support efforts to keep sprawl in check or calculate your carbon debt on our website (www.americanforests.org), then pay that debt in trees planted.

Who knows? The tree you plant today may one day make it to "The Show."