Alabama Champion Tree Program


The Alabama Champion Tree Program is a listing of the largest known specimens of particular tree species, native or introduced, in the U.S. state of Alabama. It was established in 1970 by the Alabama Forestry Commission. The program was modeled on the National Register of Big Trees, started by the American Forests organization in 1940. The goal of Alabama's program is to record, heighten awareness of, and preserve the largest tree specimens in the state. It uses the same formula for recording tree specimens that was developed by American Forests. Former champions are removed from the list as new, larger, champions are identified and recorded. Although introduced species that have naturalized are generally eligible for the program, those species that the Alabama Invasive Plant Council considers to be invasive were removed from the listing in 2011 and are no longer eligible. With the addition of 20 new specimens in 2011, the program had a total of 159 Champion Trees listed.

Listings

Common
name		Species
name		Year
added		Trunk
circumference		HeightCrown
spread		CountyLocation / Visit
alder, hazelAlnus serrulata2001Baldwin
ash, greenFraxinus pennsylvanica2000Wilcox
ash, whiteFraxinus americana2008Wilcox
basswoodTilia spp.2008Monroe
bayberry, scentlessMorella inodora2000†Baldwin
beech, AmericanFagus grandifolia2003Autauga
birch, sweetBetula lenta2008DeKalb
blackgumNyssa sylvatica1988Elmore
buckeye, yellowAesculus flava1994Madison
bumelia, buckthornSideroxylon lycioides2011Lauderdale
bumelia, gumSideroxylon lanuginosum1994Blount
burningbushEuonymus atropurpureus2002Baldwin
butternutJuglans cinerea2011Jackson
catalpa, southernCatalpa bignonioides1994Perry
catalpa, southernCatalpa bignonioides2008Clay
cedar, Atlantic whiteChamaecyparis thyoides2009Baldwin
cherry, Alabama blackPrunus alabamensis2011Tuscaloosa
cherry, blackPrunus serotina2009Madison
cherry, Carolina laurelPrunus caroliniana2008Colbert
chestnut, AmericanCastanea dentata2009Hale
chestnut, ChineseCastanea mollissima*1998Coosa
chinquapin, AlleghenyCastanea pumila2011Winston
cottonwood, easternPopulus deltoides2011Chambers
cottonwood, swampPopulus heterophylla2010Baldwin
crabapple, southernMalus angustifolia2002Montgomery
crape myrtle, commonLagerstroemia indica*2011Wilcox
crape myrtle, commonLagerstroemia indica*2008Shelby
cypress, baldTaxodium distichum1989BaldwinVia watercraft only.
cypress, pondTaxodium ascendens2010Baldwin
cyrilla, swampCyrilla racemiflora1996Mobile
devilwoodOsmanthus americanus2001Baldwin
dogwood, floweringCornus florida2009Cleburne
elm, AmericanUlmus americana2008Walker
elm, SeptemberUlmus serotina2011Lauderdale
elm, SiberianUlmus pumila*1982Madison
elm, slipperyUlmus rubra2011Cullman
elm, waterPlanera aquatica1982Covington
elm, wingedUlmus alata1997Wilcox
fringetree, whiteChionanthus virginicus2010Tuscaloosa
hackberry, commonCeltis occidentalis2009Marshall
hackberry, GeorgiaCeltis tenuifolia2007‡Perry
hawthorn, dottedCrataegus punctata1994Madison
hawthorn, littlehipCrataegus spathulata2009DeKalb
hemlock, easternTsuga canadensis1992Winston
Hercules-clubZanthoxylum clava-herculis2007Dallas
Hercules-clubZanthoxylum clava-herculis2005Baldwin
hickory, bitternutCarya cordiformis2011Lauderdale
hickory, mockernutCarya tomentosa2008Jackson
hickory, nutmegCarya myristiciformis2009Dallas
hickory, pignutCarya glabra1992Clarke
hickory, redCarya ovalis2004Perry
hickory, sandCarya pallida2010Cherokee
hickory, shagbarkCarya ovata2008Etowah
hickory, shellbarkCarya laciniosa2007Madison
hickory, waterCarya aquatica2001Baldwin
holly, AmericanIlex opaca1987Chambers
holly, dahoonIlex cassine2007Baldwin
hophornbeam, easternOstrya virginiana2008DeKalb
hoptreePtelea trifoliata2011Jackson
hornbeam, AmericanCarpinus caroliniana2011Bibb
hornbeam, AmericanCarpinus caroliniana2008Baldwin
locust, blackRobinia pseudoacacia1995Madison
locust, honeyGleditsia triacanthos2009Talladega
magnolia, bigleafMagnolia macrophylla2008Monroe
magnolia, cucumberMagnolia acuminata1993Madison
magnolia, pyramidMagnolia pyramidata2011Wilcox
magnolia, southernMagnolia grandiflora1987Calhoun
magnolia, sweetbayMagnolia virginiana2010Baldwin
magnolia, umbrellaMagnolia tripetala2011Calhoun
maple, ashleafAcer negundo2011Jackson
maple, chalkAcer leucoderme2008Wilcox
maple, FloridaAcer floridanum2010Lowndes
maple, redAcer rubrum2009Morgan
maple, sugarAcer saccharum2008Madison
mayhawCrataegus aestivalis2007Baldwin
mulberry, redMorus rubra2009Choctaw
mulberry, whiteMorus alba*2007DeKalb
oak, ArkansasQuercus arkansana1991Autauga
oak, blackQuercus velutina1992Macon
oak, blackjackQuercus marilandica1997Barbour
oak, bluejackQuercus incana1994Chilton
oak, bluffQuercus austrina200Baldwin
oak, burQuercus macrocarpa1990Montgomery
oak, cherrybarkQuercus pagoda1999Bibb
oak, chinkapinQuercus muehlenbergii2011Lauderdale
oak, darlingtonQuercus hemisphaerica2009Hale
oak, DurandQuercus sinuata var. sinuata2020†Greene
oak, laurelQuercus laurifolia2010Marengo
oak, liveQuercus virginiana2013MobileIntersection of Highway 43 & Dead Lake Road
oak, myrtleQuercus myrtifolia2007‡Baldwin
oak, northern redQuercus rubra2009Marion
oak, nuttallQuercus texana2000Madison
oak, overcupQuercus lyrata1984Marengo
oak, postQuercus stellata2010Montgomery
oak, postQuercus stellata2010Coosa
oak, sand liveQuercus geminata1998Mobile
oak, sand postQuercus margaretta1982Covington
oak, sawtoothQuercus acutissima*1997Barbour
oak, scarletQuercus coccinea2011Jackson
oak, shingleQuercus imbricaria2004Lawrence
oak, shumardQuercus shumardii2008Bullock
oak, southern redQuercus falcata1987Pike
oak, swamp chestnutQuercus michauxii2007Cleburne
oak, swamp white oakQuercus bicolor2007Madison
oak, whiteQuercus alba2003Montgomery
oak, willowQuercus phellos2004Marshall
osage-orangeMaclura pomifera1990Greene
pawpaw, commonAsimina triloba1997Randolph
pear, EuropeanPyrus communis*2003Chilton
pecanCarya illinoinensis1999Conecuh
persimmon, AmericanDiospyros virginiana2003Lauderdale
pine, loblollyPinus taeda1998Bullock
pine, pondPinus serotina2000Barbour
pine, sandPinus clausa2008Baldwin
pine, shortleafPinus echinata2008Madison
pine, slashPinus elliottii2010Baldwin
pine, sprucePinus glabra1996Russell
pine, VirginiaPinus virginiana2009DeKalb
plum, AmericanPrunus americana2007Elmore
plum, ChickasawPrunus angustifolia2007Baldwin
plum, flatwoodsPrunus umbellata2010Baldwin
privet, eastern swampForestiera acuminata1995Madison
redbud, easternCercis canadensis2000Limestone
red-cedar, easternJuniperus virginiana1979Wilcox
red-cedar, southernJuniperus silicicola2001Baldwin
sassafrasSassafras albidum1992Dallas
serviceberry, downyAmelanchier arborea2009DeKalb
silverbell, CarolinaHalesia carolina2011Randolph
silverbell, two-wingedHalesia diptera1998†Wilcox
smoketree, AmericanCotinus obovatus2010Madison
sourwoodOxydendrum arboreum2009Marion
sparkleberryVaccinium arboreum2007‡Choctaw
sugarberryCeltis laevigata1994†Barbour
sumac, smoothRhus glabra2011Jackson
sweetgum, AmericanLiquidambar styraciflua1990Coosa
sweetgum, AmericanLiquidambar styraciflua2011Montgomery
sweetleafSymplocos tinctoria2009Marion
sycamore, AmericanPlatanus occidentalis2010Montgomery
tulip treeLiriodendron tulipifera1974Lawrence
tupelo, waterNyssa aquatica2007Madison
walnut, eastern blackJuglans nigra1973Colbert
willow, blackSalix nigra2009Perry
yellowwood, AmericanCladrastis kentukea2010Jackson