TREE PEOPLE: Seeing the Forest for the Trees
By Jean West Rudnicki
THE TREE IS MORE THAN FIRST A SEED, THEN A STEM, THEN A LIVING TRUNK, AND THEN DEAD TIMBER. THE TREE IS A SLOW, ENDURING FORCE STRAINING TO WIN THE SKY. – ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY
When Sara Fox of Houston wanted to get her father something special for Christmas, she bought him a tree – not just any tree, but a certified offspring of the famous Texas Treaty Live Oak in Austin, estimated to be more than 500 years old. The Treaty Oak stands at the site of the signing by Stephen F. Austin of the first boundary-line agreement between Native Americans and white settlers. Fox’s father, a Texas history buff and CPA (with a forestry degree), was delighted when the young three-foot seedling arrived, complete with planting instructions, stake, bird net, fertilizer and Certificate of Authenticity.
Fox might just as well have chosen a young sapling from the infamous Hanging Tree of Goliad, the Alamo Live Oak, or the Sam Houston Kissing Bur Oak. Then again, the Lady Bird Johnson Southern Magnolia has an interesting lineage. First Lady Johnson propagated a seed from a magnolia planted at the White House in 1828 by newly elected President Andrew Jackson in honor of his recently deceased wife. The First Lady brought the young magnolia sapling home to Texas for planting. You can adopt, and grow as your own, offspring of either the original Jackson tree, or its cousin, the Lady Bird Johnson tree.
“Texans love their trees,” says Deborah Gangloff, Executive Director of American Forests, the nation’s oldest, non-profit, civilian conservation group, dating back to 1875. Texas, she explains, is the only state to have its own listing on the Historic Tree Nursery website (www.historictrees.org ). There, a dozen Texas trees are included along with a host of others linked to past presidents, famous authors, artists, and adventurers, as well as national landmarks and historic events. There’s even an Elvis Presley Graceland® Magnolia, offspring of trees lining the rock and roll star’s estate drive.
Trees are nominated for inclusion on the historic list, and then undergo a rigorous investigation requiring supporting documentation to substantiate the claim of its authenticity. Once approved, cuttings are taken from the trees in the spring and seeds harvested in the fall, grown at the Historic Tree Nursery in Jacksonville, Florida, and made available for purchase.
The Historic Tree program is one way the American Forests group works to generate interest and excitement about trees. Another fun approach is through its Historic Big Tree Registry. Since 1940, the organization has documented the largest known specimens of every native and naturalized tree in the United States. Trees receive points based on their trunk circumference, height, and crown spread. The largest tree of each species in the country – the one with the most points – is the National Champion. Texas, of course, boasts several of these giants, including the massive Rio Grande Cottonwood at Fort Davis. This tree has a diameter of 30.6 feet, stands 92 feet tall, and has an average crown spread of 92 feet. It has held the National Champion title since 1971, though briefly in 2003, it faced a contender from
