Oregon Co-Champion Juniper –

The juniper in context. slgwv (Atlas Obscura User)

How do you decide how big a tree is? It doesn’t seem reasonable that it’s just the height, or circumference, or whatever; it has to be a weighted combination of some kind. And, of course, we want a non-destructive test; digging up the tree to measure it would miss the point rather profoundly.

A widely used system, at least in the US, is the American Forests point system. This is defined as the circumference (in inches) + the height (in feet) + one quarter the average crown spread (in feet). Or, in an algebraic formula,

x + y + z/4,

where x is the circumference, y the height, and z the average crown spread. On this basis this juniper has a score of 312, which is tied with another juniper in Lane County to the east. This score is far above any other junipers, so these trees are truly unusual.

Of course, the larger question may be, why should we even care which tree is the biggest? One answer might be that this sort of competition helps raise awareness of the natural world in general and forests in particular. A perhaps deeper answer is that such a large size is a proxy for forest health. For a tree to grow so large its environment must have remained stable, and the surrounding forest undisturbed, for centuries. This juniper, for example, is now the centerpiece of an officially designated old-growth forest.

Know Before You Go

The Co-Champion Juniper is remote off unimproved roads. There are a number of possible routes but none is on pavement. One reasonably straightforward route is as follows.

Go 20.7 miles east on US 20 from its intersection with NE 3rd Street (US 97 Business) in downtown Bend to the junction (at about 43.90041 N, 120.98745 W) with USFS 23 and turn right (south). Then go 25.5 miles on USFS 23 to where the road continues straight as USFS 2325, while USFS 23 bends to the right (at about 43.61318 N, 120.85783 W). Continue on USFS 2325 4.8 miles to an intersection with USFS 700 (at about 43.54698 N, 120.85834 W). USFS 2325 parallels a high-voltage line along here. Now turn right (west) on USFS 700 and go 2.6 miles, being sure to stay on USFS 700 as it winds around. The juniper will be on the right at about 43.55214 N, 120.89923 W. The tree is surrounded by a rail fence.

The smaller roads will require high clearance and maybe 4wd, in case of washouts. Four-wheel-drive is likely to be necessary in wet conditions, and in any event the roads are not passable in winter.