The Raytown Tree Board in association with Smith Bros. Hardware have sponsored the annual Tree of the Year contest for Raytown Citizens. Being one of the older communities in the metro area, Raytown has many wonderful trees to recognize and celebrate.

This year (2010), we're awarding the Tree of the Year title to Patrick and Carla Hamilton, the proud owners of a Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) that their son, Alex, brought home from school.

His mother writes, "In 1993, my son, Alex brought home a twig from 4th Grade (Robinson) for Arbor Day and he insisted it was a tree and we should plant it so it would grow.

Reluctantly, my husband went to the front yard with Alex to plant the twig. My husband and I later discussed that if that twig did not grow we would have to plant a real tree in its place or Alex would be uset about it not growing.

Every day Alex would go to the twig and water it. We gave him plant food for the twig. The next year by all amazement, the twig sprouted new growth and every year since then it has grown and survived the wingers and snow and ice storms.

Today's it's the best looking twig we have ever seen!"

"Although trees often outlive us, they succumb to age, disease and insects, wind, rain, drought-all , all to often, the chainsaw buzz of development. It’s our responsibility to maintain a healthy environment that allows trees to grow to champion status." American Forests'

Do you have tree to nominate for our next Tree of the Year?
Click here for the Official Entry Form to be filled out and returned to Smith Bros. Hardware at 63rd & Raytown Trafficway. The deadline is October 31, 2010!

How does your tree stack up to the Missouri Conservation Department's Missouri Champions?
Click here for the criteria used in selecting a Champion