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Stumbled on a 100 year old oak in Savannah that changed how I look at branch unions
I was down in Savannah last month for a family visit and got to talking with a local arborist near Forsyth Park. He showed me this massive live oak they think is around 100 years old, and pointed out something I'd never paid much attention to - the way the branch unions were formed with these thick collars that looked almost welded on. He told me they never get included bark like younger oaks do because the tree has had time to build strong attachments. It made me realize I've been too quick to judge older trees as risky without really looking at the union structure. Has anyone else noticed this difference in older trees versus younger ones in your work?
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the_lee16d ago
Anytime I see a tree over 50 years old my first thought is "please don't have a dead branch over the kids' swing set." But yeah, I've noticed the same thing with the big oaks in our neighborhood park. They just look sturdier somehow even though they're way bigger.
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lee84716d ago
Haha, I totally get that! It's like old trees have this quiet, steady confidence, you know? My grandparents had this ancient maple in their backyard that was probably planted when the house was built in the 1920s. It had this big, gnarled branch that sagged over the driveway, and every time we parked under it, my mom would mutter something about insurance. But that tree outlasted three cars and never dropped a thing!
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