Cactus champ on the move. (News from the World of Trees).Big Tree lovers in Oro Valley, Arizona Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located 6 miles north of Tucson, Arizona, USA in Pima County. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 38,438,[1] an increase from 29,700 in 2000 according to the U.S. Census. , are carefully monitoring their national co-champion saguaro saguaro: see cactus. saguaro Large, candelabra-shaped, branched cactus (Cereus giganteus, or Carnegiea gigantea) native to Mexico, Arizona, and California. Slow-growing at first, mature saguaros may eventually reach 50 ft (15 m) in height. after the 150-year-old cactus was moved in May to allow for a highway expansion. The cactus, which was on the edge of a busy intersection, was shifted to a safer location 150 feet away. Supervising the move was Cesar Mazier, director of the Desert Botanical Garden, who has been researching cactus transplantation since 1989. Mazier, who oversees the care of 886 saguaros at the Garden, recommended the so-called "box technique," in which a tree's roots and soil are encased en·case tr.v. en·cased, en·cas·ing, en·cas·es To enclose in or as if in a case. en·case  ment n. in a box that features eight vertical support beams. Perlite perliteor pearlstone Natural glass with concentric cracks such that the rock breaks into small, pearl-like bodies. It is formed by the rapid cooling of viscous lava or magma. is then poured into the box, in this case to stabilize the saguaro's dozen or so fragile arms. A 200-ton crane then lifts the tree to its new site. The saguaro's growth and health will be monitored over the next year by Mazier; Native Resources International, which moved the tree; and landscape architects McGann & Associates. Residents in the area who requested the tree be moved will undoubtedly keep an eye on it as well in its new home at the intersection of Tangerine Road and La Canada Drive in Oro Valley. The cactus is the second national champion to be moved in as many years. In 2000 Perdue Perdue may refer to:
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