January/February 2014 | 31
Every Tree
Tells a Story
Northwest Native
Named Big Tree
To look at a tree is to imagine its story.
Who has it sheltered? What events
have occurred in its shadow? In this
way, every tree adds to the richness of
our lives.
A moose checks out Alaska's national champion
Kenai birch. The tree was nominated and
measured by students at the Kaleidoscope
School of Arts & Sciences. Photo: Don Bertolette
I
ts canopy expands across the moonlit sky
as intertwining branches cast faint, intricate,
silhouetted designs upon the earth below.
The very tips of its crown reach high into
the air as if the sun had been present for hours;
but instead, darkness ensues more than half
of the day.
Just a few years ago, the champion Kenai
birch tree caught the attention of a group of
fourth, fifth and sixth grade students from the
Kaleidoscope School of Arts & Sciences, a
public elementary charter school in the village
of Kenai, Alaska, where instructors help
develop students' academic and life skills.
Nominating a champion-sized tree is one
hands-on experience the students will likely
never forget. Now, thanks to their elementary-
aged opinions, the impressive Kenai birch
tree is famous for its outstanding features
and sheer size.
This champion tree's structure, measuring
37 feet from base to tree top and 43 feet across
its reaching crown, represents the largest of
Kenai birch trees—and stands, fittingly, in
Kenai. At 76 inches around, its trunk boasts the
stability to support the champion Kenai birch
during the region's most severe wintry weather,
from chilling temperatures and extreme wind
chills to snow accumulation.
Native to Western Canada and Alaska, the
Kenai birch thrives at altitudes as low as sea
level, particularly in the moist soils it prefers.
Although the species harvests close-grained,
light, strong wood for fuel and kindling, its
unique visual features capture the admiration
and attention of natives; the Kenai birch's
white bark, slightly tinged orange or brown,
differentiates the species among others standing
in its presence.
But the special champion Kenai birch tree
tells a story unique to all others its ancestors
have shared. Located in Kenai, where the
world-famous Kenai River meets the Cook
Inlet, the champion Kenai birch stands
within the heart of Alaskan adventure: Kenai,
a place that features something for everyone
to explore; "a village with a past, a city with
a future."
January/February 2014 | 31
