Tallahassee, FL – Two baldcypress trees in Hamilton County are experiencing overnight fame after the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Florida Forest Service declared them as the new baldcypress co-champion trees for the Florida Champion Tree Program. The trees succeed the Senator, a 3,500 year-old baldcypress in Seminole County, which burned to the ground in January.

 

“The department’s Florida Champion Tree Program is just one component of our efforts to preserve and honor our state’s natural history,” said Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. “Not only does it serve as a valuable database of the largest trees located in Florida, but it also provides a way for us to showcase the rich variety of species we have in our state.”

 

The department’s Florida Forest Service, which oversees the Florida Champion Tree Program, is responsible for managing more than one million acres of state forest lands and protecting over 26 million acres of land and natural resources from wildfire.

 

“After the Senator burned in January, Florida Forest Service foresters began searching their local communities for baldcypress trees deserving of the ‘champion tree’ title,” said Jim Karels Florida Forest Service Director. “Standing at more than 95 feet tall and 45 feet in circumference, these trees were hard to miss – even in the swamps of Hamilton County.”

 

Although uncommon, trees are deemed co-champions when total scores differ less than two percent. The new champion trees are located one mile apart on property belonging to the Suwannee River Water Management District, roughly 10 miles southwest of Jasper.

 

To nominate a tree or to find the GPS coordinates for each of the current champion trees, visit www.floridaforestservice.com.

 

For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com or follow Commissioner Putnam on Facebook, www.facebook.com/adamputnam, and Twitter, @adamputnam.