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Home , Live oak, Quercus fusiformis, Quercus virginiana, Spanish moss

SMA Presents the 2013 Urban of the Year: Southern Live ()

assive southern (Quercus virgin- The Professionals on Southern Live Oak iana) was bested by little redbud in the 2010 SMA M ost people don’t know one tree from Urban Tree of the Year election. As this was announced Manother. That’s to be expected, but live oak is one at the SMA conference banquet in Savannah, of of those that just about everybody knows, can all places, many live oak fans cried, “We was robbed!” identify, and more importantly, loves. In the Gulf South Those old wounds can now begin to compartmentalize they routinely live upwards of 300 years, a fact that as live oak gets its proper due as the 2013 SMA Urban provokes awe and a certain jealousy among us humans. Tree of the Year. Their physical strength, wondrous canopies, and near- evergreen nature serve to connect us with the past. Southern live oak is a decurrent tree with low, arching, wide-spreading branches. Depending on climate, its I remember once in the early 1990s when R.J. Laverne ultimate height ranges from 40 to 60 feet (12 to 18 (then with ACRT) visited Baton Rouge as a consultant m) and width ranges from 50 to 80 feet (15 to 24 m) to help us craft an urban forestry management plan. or more. It is reliably hardy to Zone 7b. Southern live Having come down from Maine, he explained to me that oak, the state tree of Georgia, is native to U.S. coastal he’d never really seen a live oak, so I took him on a tour regions from south to and west to , that started with one of our older specimens. The thing I recall most was R.J.’s absolute wonder as he walked but it can be planted effectively in coastal areas all the beneath the huge canopy and cradling low-draping way up to Washington State. It can freely hybridize with limbs, just quietly touching and gazing at the thing like other including swamp white oak (Q. bicolor) and he was a child who’d just walked into Disneyland. bur oak (Q. macrocarpa). Now, it’s true that live oaks are not for everybody. They Southern live oak’s suitability for urban use comes from are enormous and greedy devourers of physical space. its salt tolerance, ability to tolerate both dry soils and They eat sidewalks and curbs for lunch. They are no seasonally wet ones, tolerance of soils both acidic and respecters of underground nor overhead space and fre- alkaline, ability to grow in part shade, wind resistance, quently come into conflict with utilities. They also pos- and lack of major pests. sess a disturbing predilection for included bark (when grown from random seedlings). Distinguishing One’s Live Oaks On the other hand, their low green canopies shield us from hurricane winds. Their strength and durability often live oak is, well, more than just a live oak! keep them alive through the most egregious construc- ALive oak can be used as a common name for tion abuse. Their ecological value is as enormous as several live oaks, namely southern (Q. virginiana), their size, and their cultural value is indescribably deep coast (Q. agrifolia), interior (Q. wislizeni), and can- and wide, from the lumber in Cajun cabins to the mas- yon (Q. chrysolepis) live oaks. Southern live oak is sive ribs of Old Ironsides. the quintessential -draped oak [regaled here, It’s fitting that an oak that’s not really in the red oak or as Tree of the Year]. Coast, interior, and canyon white oak class and not really evergreen nor deciduous live oaks are found primarily in . During should stand as the representative, in many people’s minds, of an entire genus. It’s also fitting that speci- my tenure in that state, I had the opportunity to mens that have stood naturally on my own native soil work with all three of the California live oaks. Of since the days before my own town even existed should the three, coast live oak was the most suited for be honored by SMA collectively with their mighty kinfolk use as a street tree. Interior live oak tended to across America. It just feels right. be smaller, with a bushier canopy, as did canyon —Steve Shurtz, Urban Forestry & Landscape Manager, live oak. Both were good trees for sites off of the Department of Public Works, City of Baton Rouge, streets.

—Chris Boza, City Forester, Hayden, Idaho (right) Live oaks give ideal filtered shade to azaleas in Savannah. • Photo by Bill Haws

14 City Trees

Bob Thibodeaux and Acorns of Hope

Live oak foliage with acorns • Photo by Franklin Bonner, USFS (ret.), Bugwood.org Photo by Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org in our neck of the “The great natu- he two live oak species ob Thibodeaux writes, are the coastal live oak (Quercus virginiana) ralist Audubon wrote that the finest live oaks of T B and the plateau live oak (). Live oaks the world grew along the southern Louisiana coast- are one of the most versatile and valuable tree species line, which is where I gather my acorns.” Thibodeaux we have. Not only do they help provide clean air and is the longtime proprietor of Bob’s Tree Preservation water, capture stormwater, and provide oxygen, beauty, (www.bobstree.com) and well known for his passion and superb wildlife habitat; they are also extremely for live oaks. If you meet him in your travels, he will tough and drought hardy. When they do expire, large likely offer you acorns from his pockets. trees are valued for woodworking and smaller trees can The mission of the non-profit Thibodeaux found- be used for barbeques and fireplaces. ed, Acorns of Hope (www.acornsofhope.org), is In harsh tree wells in the urban environment where “to trees and educate the community on other species would give up the ghost, live oaks can coastal erosion and the importance of replacing survive and provide their wonderful shade and beauty. trees destroyed in the devastations of Hurricanes In our oldest municipal park in Texas, San Pedro Springs Katrina, Rita, and the many other recent storms Park (second oldest in the ), the old live that have ravaged the coastline.” In addition to oaks provide an emotional link with the past. Citizens donating 10,000 live oak trees from its own nurs- can visit the park and imagine early San Antonians pic- ery, Acorns of Hope organizes a yearly bike ride to nicking under the draping canopies with limbs so long raise money for tree planting in the Coastal and and heavy that they touch the ground. Prairie Communities of South Louisiana. It is for these and so many other reasons close to each Thibodeaux collects acorns himself for growing citizen’s heart that the live oak is one of the most loved, trees in the nursery. According to the Acorns of revered, and treasured species in . Hope website, “At our Acorns of Hope Nursery, we are planting the very best acorns from quality par- —Michael Nentwich, City Forester, San Antonio, Texas, Parks ent . Then we choose to plant in harsh condi- & Recreation tions, without irrigation and fertilizers or staking, to imitate stringent coastal conditions ... Many of the trees planted at the farm come from the seeds of recognized live oaks in the Louisiana area: Bob has collected acorns from historical oaks such as the Jim Bowie Live Oak, Tree of Seven Sisters, Evangeline Live Oak, The Spider Live Oak, St. John Cathedral Live Oak, Calcasieu Manor Live Oak, Alamo Oaks, Majestic Live Oak, 250-year-old Boudreaux and Thibodeaux Live Oaks and the Angel Oak (estimated to be approximately 1400 years old)... our live oaks grow to become strong, well-rooted trees, perfect candidates to transplant and reforest our hurricane- damaged part of the world.” SMA’s Steve Shurtz says, “Nobody loves live oaks more than Bob Thibodeaux.” We take our hats off to this champion of the 2013 SMA Urban Tree of the Year. A Legacy Oak on a rural Baton Rouge, Louisiana property • Photo by R. Robert Rackley

16 City Trees hen you think of Savannah, one of the Wfirst images you have is live oaks adorned with . These trees add to the historic beauty and colonial charm that makes Savannah a destination city in the Southeast. Aside from their beauty, the live oaks may be near-perfect trees to have in the urban environment. They have a spreading canopy that can cover a large area, making them great shade trees to cool visitors, residents, and historic buildings. The live oaks also keep the city green all winter long. Aside from the environmental benefits, live oaks can compartmentalize very well when injured, so they don’t decay rapidly like other trees. Most of the deadwood is strong and secure, making them safer compared to other trees with similar diameters of deadwood. Live oaks can withstand weather events better than other tree species in Savannah, which helps lower the liability to the City. Their canopy provides a great habitat for a variety of wildlife, songbirds, lizards, and small mam- mals. The live oak is a very popular tree to have on one’s property and can add considerable value. I cannot think of a more perfect tree for this city. Kudos, Quercus virginiana!

—Michael Pavlis, Tree Maintenance Supervisor, Park and (above) Steve Shurtz with the Randall Oak (35 foot/10.7 meters Tree, City of Savannah, Georgia circumference) in New Roads, LA. Photo by Andrew Shurtz

A great southern live oak specimen on Jean Lafitte Drive in Baton Rouge • Photo by Steve Shurtz www.urban-forestry.com 17 outhern live oak ... No other tree spe- Scies evokes such powerful classic imagery of the Southland. Graceful limbs draped in Spanish moss and resurrection fern arch over roadways to form a cathe- dral-like effect that an indelible impression on all onlookers. Southern live oak is synonymous with Savannah; it is an integral part of the City’s history, identity, character, and charm. The durability of live oak is legendary. The USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world (1797), was constructed using framework and timbers made of live oak harvested in Brunswick, Georgia. The ship was dubbed “Old Ironsides” for its ability to withstand canon fire. Why, I sometimes won- der, did Savannah’s forefathers decide to plant Southern live oak so prominently throughout the city? Perhaps the species had already earned a reputation for strength and toughness! The “Hollywood Oak” on Hollywood Street in Baton Rouge • An ordinance passed by the General Assembly of the Photo by Steve Shurtz State of Georgia in 1895 established the first Park & Tree Commission in Savannah. The following year, the Commission expressed its preference for the use of live oak due to its long lifespan and hardiness. This legacy of live oak trees has endured to the benefit of genera- tions of Savannahians. Southern live oak is hands-down the most durable, storm resistant, hardy tree in the Southeast and is truly a tree for the ages.

— Bill Haws, Forestry Administrator, Park and Tree, City of Savannah

Southern live oaks in autumn fronting the Old Baton Rouge City Courthouse • Photo by Steve Shurtz

Spanish-moss draped live oaks in Savannah • Photo by Bill Haws Resurrection ferns on live oak • Photo by Frank Thibodeaux

18 City Trees