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The Big Tree Program of the Michigan Botanical Club started soon
after the organization of the club in 1941. Paul Thompson, affiliated with the
Cranbrook Institute of Science, became the state's Big Tree Coordinator and served in the
capacity for over forty years until his death in 1994. Many individuals, mostly
Michigan Botanical Club members, worked with Paul over the years as he set about
discovering, measuring, and recording Michigan's biggest trees and shrubs.
Champion-sized trees were reported to American
Forests, nominated for National Champion status, and subsequently listed in the
"National Register of Big Trees" issued every two years by American Forests.
Elwood Ehrle, from Western Michigan University, began working
with Paul Thompson in 1991. They decided to prepare a series of short articles for
publication in The Michigan Botanist.
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