The problem is California would win it. Not our fault the most beautiful trees in the world call this home.

Redwoods are impressive, but I'm not exactly sure a trunk passing out of the photo is the peak of tree aesthetics. I'd imagine the northeast or the northwest or parts of the south have the strongest claims.

California has many extraordinarily beautiful large trees besides redwoods. Madrone, bay laurel, and tanoak come to mind.

Still, I find something exquisite in the eastern hardwoods, beech in particular. The turning of color and dropping all the leaves is really gorgeous.

Yep. And Juniper, too. And Sequoia, which I don't believe are technically redwoods if we want to split hairs. And a bunch of cool oaks.

It took me a longer time than I care to admit that it’s pronounced “tan-oak” and not “tan-o-ak”

California is also home to the oldest known tree, Methuselah, a bristlecone pine.

This is my vote, except I don't know which one it is.

If you judge them in person, I think redwood easily wins, and CA has two giant versions(coastal redwood and sequoia).

Also Douglass fir is nearly as large & long lived as redwood, tho less impressive in person.

California has extremely tall softwood trees. But that's not the the sum of beauty in trees.

I'm partial to the eastern half of the continent. Very high diversity of amazing hardwoods. I've never been to Texas, but the pictures I've seen of Post Oaks look amazing. Tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) are stunning, across the whole region. An oak beech maple forest turning red in the temperate autumn is awe inspiring.

Man I like trees.

Go to Houston on a nice day and have a burger at Beck's Prime underneath a pair of 400 year old oaks. I haven't lived there in 30 years but its still one of my favorite things to do when I visit.

This blog post has some good pics. https://www.penick.net/digging/?p=83517

An NA contest would be a nearer match to this - this is a European contest, not any one country or the EU.

Is the US had its own contest they would probably call it the "world tree contest".