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.
Forest Park is home to two current state champion trees - this red buckeye, and the cucumbertree (magnolia acuminata).
The Missouri State Champion Red Buckeye
The Red Buckeye tree you will start from for this cache, at its most recent measurement, has a circumference of 72 inches, stands 35 feet high and boasts a 33 foot spread for a total of 115 points. That makes it the biggest Red Buckeye in Missouri. The co-champion Red Buckeyes are both in Roanoke, VA with 145 and 143 points at last measurement.