A State Champion Tree is a Special Thing
These trees represent the pinnacle growth of their species, and are some of the most majestic things you are likely to ever see.
To be eligible for listing, a tree must be native or naturalized. Native tree species are survivors of the last ice age. Examples are shortleaf pine and shagbark hickory. Naturalized trees are exotic (introduced from other regions or continents) that have become common and establish themselves as if they are native. The white mulberry is a good example of a non-native, naturalized tree. Horticultural varieties, hybrids and exotic species, such as winter king hawthorn, tree of heaven and Oklahoma redbud, are excluded from the list.
The formula, established by the American Forests, the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country, for determining a tree's points is called the bigness index and is calculated like this:
Trunk Circumference (in inches) + Height (in feet) + 1/4 Average Crown Spread (in feet) = Total Points
Using this formula, the largest known living tree in Missouri is a bald cypress with a point total of 466.
Big Oak Tree State Park is home to several current and former state champion trees, and as I write this three more trees from the park have been submitted as contenders and have a very good chance of either replacing or co championing with the current champions.
The State Champion Pumpkin Ash
The Pumpkin Ash tree you will see from this cache, at its most recent measurement, has a circumference of 188 inches, stands 150 feet high and boasts a 77 foot spread for a total of 357 points. That makes it the biggest Pumpkin Ash tree in Missouri.
Not only is this pumpkin ash the Missouri state champion tree, it is also the national co-champion together with the Virginia state champion pumpkin ash, which has 354 points.