项目源起：RNZIH 1977 年设立的全国树木档案
新西兰树木注册 (The New Zealand Tree Register) 的工作基础可以追溯到 1940 年植物学家 H. H. Allan 博士发表的新西兰遗产树木文献，以及林学家 Stanley (Bob) Burstall NZFS 跨越三十多年的实地调查。1970 年代他完成了八份地区性历史与著名树木报告，并促成 1984 年《Great Trees of New Zealand》一书的出版。1977 至 1978 年间，新西兰皇家园艺学会 (Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, RNZIH) 正式建立全国性著名树木登记册，由 Ron Flook 长期管理并主持 1994 年《An Introduction to the Notable Trees of New Zealand》的编写。
信托成立与注册系统：NZNTT 与 Registree Manager™
2006 年 Ron Flook 逝世后，原数据库一度中断。2007 至 2008 年，RNZIH 与新西兰树木栽培协会 (New Zealand Arboricultural Association, NZArb) 联合成立慈善信托——新西兰著名树木基金 (New Zealand Notable Trees Trust, NZNTT)，承接这一长期记录工作。2009 年 11 月 19 日，全新在线版的新西兰树木注册正式上线，底层使用 Turboweb 公司开发的 Registree Manager™ 树木档案管理系统。访客可以免费搜索全部公开记录；愿意参与记录的志愿者只要注册免费账户即可提交新树或更新数据，由 Notable Trees Registration Committee 对每条记录做分类评估。
记录方法与 STEM™ 评估体系
登记一棵树之前，记录者需要在野外完成四项基础测量：树干周长 (厘米)、垂直树高 (精度 0.1 米)、最大冠幅与最小冠幅 (精度 0.1 米)。所有数据使用公制录入后，系统会自动换算成美国林学会的英制总分公式：周长 [英寸] + 树高 [英尺] + 1/4 平均冠幅 [英尺] = Champion Tree Points，从而便于与美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、英国等国家的树木进行直接比较，得分差距在 10 分以内的树木视为并列冠军。新西兰树木注册还支持由 Ron Flook 1996 年首创、并于 2012 年由 NZNTT 取得版权的 Standard Tree Evaluation Method (STEM™) 评估体系，这是目前新西兰大多数地方议会将树木列入地区规划时使用的评估工具。
登记类别与评审流程
所有提交的记录都由 Notable Trees Registration Committee 按照统一类别评估：国际关注级别包含与国际政要相关联的树木、新西兰本土冠军树前十名或世界前五名外来树；国家级历史树木涵盖早期毛利与欧洲定居历史人物相关树木；地方级别则收录显著地方人物或事件相关树木、地区内罕见或独特物种、单一直径、树高或冠幅最大的样本树以及树龄超过 50 年的树木。其余符合条件的树木归入 General Tree 类目。委员会鼓励任何对本地树木熟悉的志愿者提交新记录——你身边的那棵树，或许就是全国甚至全球的冠军候选。
社区参与与全球合作
新西兰树木注册鼓励公众通过两条途径参与：一是提交自己熟悉的本地重要树木，记录越详尽越好；二是对现有记录提供补充与修正。理事会目前由 Nelson 的 Brad Cadwallader、Auckland 的 Penny Cliffin、Wellington 的 James Jones、New Plymouth 的 Bruce MacDonald 等成员组成，负责与各地区合作，推动树木信息共享。凭借新西兰冷温带气候下外来树种生长特别旺盛的特色，许多被收录的树木在国际同类比较中名列前茅，对海外树木爱好者也极具吸引力。基金会与各理事邀请所有人一同参与——请向我们展示新西兰的树木。
Origins: RNZIH National Tree Archive Established in 1977
The New Zealand Tree Register (NZTR) builds on a long heritage of tree recording in New Zealand. Botanist Dr. H. H. Allan published pioneering work on heritage trees in 1940, and forester Stanley (Bob) Burstall NZFS spent more than thirty years surveying the country. His eight regional reports in the 1970s led to the 1984 publication of Great Trees of New Zealand. Between 1977 and 1978, the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (RNZIH) established a national register of notable trees, which the late Ron Flook of Nelson managed for over 25 years, including the 1994 publication An Introduction to the Notable Trees of New Zealand.
Trust and Register System: NZNTT and Registree Manager™
After Ron Flook passed away in 2006, the original database became unavailable. In 2007 and 2008, RNZIH and the New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZArb) jointly established a charitable trust, the New Zealand Notable Trees Trust (NZNTT), to continue the work. The redesigned online New Zealand Tree Register went live on 19 November 2009 and runs on Registree Manager™, a web application developed by Turboweb Ltd in Dunedin. Visitors may search all public records for free, while volunteer recorders create a free account to submit new trees or update existing data, with each submission reviewed by the Notable Trees Registration Committee.
Measurement Method and the STEM™ Evaluation System
Before adding a tree, recorders collect four baseline measurements in the field: trunk girth or circumference in centimetres, vertical tree height to the nearest 0.1 m, widest crown spread to the nearest 0.1 m, and narrowest crown spread to the nearest 0.1 m. The register converts all metric data into the American Forests imperial scoring formula—trunk circumference [inches] + height [feet] + one-quarter average crown spread [feet] = Champion Tree Points—so trees can be compared directly with records from the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. Trees within 10 points of each other are treated as co-champions. The register also incorporates the Standard Tree Evaluation Method (STEM™), first published by Ron Flook in 1996 and held under NZNTT copyright since 2012; this is the heritage-tree assessment method used by most New Zealand local authorities.
Registration Categories and Review Workflow
Every submission is reviewed by the Notable Trees Registration Committee and placed in one of five categories. The International Interest level covers trees associated with international heads of state, the top 10 New Zealand indigenous champions in any species, and exotic trees confirmed as world top five. National historic trees include specimens tied to early Māori and European settlement history or prominent national figures. Local categories cover trees linked to significant local people or events, the largest regional specimens by any of the three dimensions, rare or botanically unique trees, earliest district plantings, and any tree more than 50 years old. All other qualifying trees fall under General Tree. Volunteers are encouraged to submit any notable local tree—one in your neighbourhood could turn out to be a national or even global champion.
Community Participation and Global Cooperation
The register welcomes two forms of public contribution: submitting detailed records for notable local trees, and supplementing or correcting existing entries with additional measurements or notes. The current board includes Brad Cadwallader of Nelson, Penny Cliffin of Auckland, James Jones of Wellington, and Bruce MacDonald of New Plymouth. Thanks to New Zealand’s cool-temperate climate, which lets many introduced species grow far larger than in their natural range, several registered trees rank among the world’s largest specimens and attract international tree enthusiasts. The Trust and its board invite everyone to take part—show us your trees.
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