[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9849]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               CHAMPION TREE PLANTING AT THE U.S. CAPITOL

 Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate a 
wonderful Arbor Day gift that was donated to the U.S. Capitol by the 
Champion Tree Project and the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Last 
Thursday, on April 24, 2003, the U.S. Capitol planted a 6-foot sapling 
clone of a white ash tree grown by George Washington in the late 1700s. 
This sapling clone is the first successful recreation of the Champion 
Tree Project's efforts to spawn exact genetic duplicates of each of 
Washington's surviving trees at Mount Vernon.
  This gift is extremely special to me for two reasons. First, the 
Champion Tree Project is a Michigan-founded, grassroots organization 
that was founded by a Michiganian father and son team, David and Jared 
Milarch. The Milarch family has been the driving force behind this 
organization, and I commend them for their historic efforts to protect 
these important trees. In addition to working to protect historically 
significant trees like those on the Mount Vernon estate, the Champion 
Tree Project is dedicated to protecting Champion trees, which are the 
biggest--and often among the oldest--known members of their species in 
the United States. After cloning, these saplings are planted in 
protected sites where they can be enjoyed and studied by future 
generations.
  Second, I was at Mount Vernon on August 1, 2001, when the Champion 
Tree Project collected the budwood and branches from the 13 surviving 
trees planted under George Washington's direction over 200 years ago. 
The DNA that was collected at Mount Vernon over a year and half ago is 
what was used to create this white ash sapling clone, and I am proud 
that this sapling has found a wonderful home at the U.S. Capitol today.
  Mr. President, I thank the Champion Tree Project and the Mount Vernon 
Ladies' Association for their historic gift and their ongoing 
dedication to preserving these trees for future generations.

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