A state tree is a symbol chosen by a state’s residents and legislature, usually a native tree iconic to the state or significant to its history. California has two state trees, while West Virginia and Wisconsin share the sugar maple. Ohio chose the Ohio Buckeye due to its history. Every state except Hawaii has a native state tree.
A state tree is a species of tree chosen by a state to serve as an official state symbol, similar to a song, bird, or state motto. Typically chosen by a state’s residents and the state legislature, a state tree is almost always a tree native to that state and often one that is iconic to the state or has played an important role in the region’s development and history. Some states have more than one state tree, and only a few states share the same tree, with unique or iconic state trees being more common.
The state tree is typically chosen by the people of that state or the legislature and is proposed in a bill which is then ratified by the state legislature to become law and make the tree an official state symbol. This process is often quite straightforward, and a state’s residents have typically been unified behind a single type of tree to serve as the official state tree. In some rare circumstances, more than one tree may be chosen, when several trees are important to the residents of a state or to the history of that region.
California, for example, has two state trees: the coast redwood and the giant redwood. Both of these trees are found throughout the state in areas such as Redwood National Park, a major tourist attraction and a place of great natural beauty. The coast redwood is the world’s tallest tree, averaging over 300 feet (more than 90 meters), while the giant sequoia is the world’s tallest tree with bases commonly 30 feet (more than 9 meters) of diameter, and live more than 3,000 years. Because these trees are a source of pride for many California residents, both trees were chosen to be honored as state symbols. While most states have unique state trees, both West Virginia and Wisconsin share the sugar maple.
Other states choose a tree based on the state’s history. Ohio, for example, has the Ohio Buckeye as its official state tree. This was chosen after the presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison, who was an Ohio state senator and ran as a “log cabin candidate,” often using depictions of cabins built with buckeye logs. These images and slogans helped continue to establish Ohio as “The Buckeye State” and the Buckeye Tree was later chosen as the state tree. Every state except Hawaii has a state tree native to the region; Hawaii has the kukui tree, native to Polynesia but widespread in Hawaii.
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