But fear not. There are people wandering the woods who cherish the big trees. They search for, measure, and photograph them. Utah, usually thought of as a desert state, contributed six of the 867 national champions. Cutting Down the Competition State, federal and local forest workers, of course, take professional pride in finding champion trees.
Foresters goes as far as to periodically check with each other on the health of rival champions.
Dietz remembers when Arizona recently called to get a confirmation on Washington County's national champion pringle manzanita. When Utah forest area manager Ron Larsen went out to check on it, he found a stump. But, being a tree person, Larsen could not help but notice that within feet of the manzanita stump stood an impressive cliffrose, Cowania Mexicana. He got out his tape measure. A cliffrose isn't much more than an overgrown shrub, but this one, towering at 15 feet, turned out to be a new national champion.