Champion Tree Points = Height (ft) + Circumference (in) + 1/4 Canopy spread (ft)
The data for this map is curated by the nonprofit American Forests and is a compilation of data from state champion tree lists. I first got interested in champion trees when I came across the Atlanta list; now I appreciate trees more when walking through my local neighborhoods and parks. Some of the national champions on the American Forests list have pictures too- click on a tree in the map to get an image link. Two of my favorite images are the Giant Sequoia and the Western Red Cedar.
I also noticed from the linked pictures that big tree measuring seems to be a very male-dominated activity.
The graph below gives some additional context around champion trees. California has the most champion points and largest tree, while Florida has the most individual champions. (The map above only shows champions with at least 270 points, but the graph below includes all champions, including species that are quite small.) Eight states don't have any champions- Arkansas, Delaware, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
To learn how the champion tree map was built in Tableau, see this post.