The Southern live oak is one of the most beloved trees in the world, a symbol of strength, morale, resistance, and knowledge. Live oaks are prized along the coast because of their ability to stand up to whatever Mother Nature throws at them—nor’easters, salt spray, and, of course, hurricanes. But sometimes, even a mighty oak needs a little help from its friends!
If you’ve visited our Historic Spanish Point campus over the years, you’ll probably recognize the large, very old live oak that extends over the picnic area near the crossroads of the White Drive and Guptill Road pathways. This majestic tree has shaded countless school-group lunches, special-event arts-and-crafts sessions, and quiet family respites amid touring the wooded, 30-acre campus.
But that big oak has been leaning significantly of late. So much so that its future was tenuous.
You see, oaks have roots that grow within the upper 16 inches of soil and extend well beyond the crown to take up adequate water and nutrients. When one begins to lean—like our oak in the picnic area did—it causes those roots to break. The roots then push the trunk away from the soil, and eventually they tip out of the ground.
To prevent this from happening to the picnic oak, Selby Gardens’ horticulture and operations staff intervened.
The preservation effort was spearheaded by Travis Newell, an ISA-certified arborist and operations manager of Terry’s Tree Service, and Mike McLaughlin, Selby Gardens’ senior vice president for horticulture, alongside Darrell Ayers, senior director of operations at the Historic Spanish Point campus. Our team worked diligently in collaboration with the expert contractor to stabilize the tree with two braces of three-quarter-inch steel and secure it to a concrete foundation.
The new braces will support this special tree for many years to come—and they serve as an interesting visual testament to the stewardship work practiced by Selby Gardens.
As Darrell noted, this tree has provided shade for thousands of schoolchildren having lunch during their educational visits to the Historic Spanish Point campus. Now, added Mike, “Generations will continue to be able to enjoy the shade of a mature oak.”
This small project is just one of the ways our staff at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens works daily to maintain the beautiful surroundings at both of our historic campuses.
You can watch a video of the project here >>