600+ Year Old White Oak

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9 years 6 months ago #137050 by Oldtown138
600+ Year Old White Oak was created by Oldtown138
This majestic white oak is over 600 years old and so far, my favorite climb to date. When I first saw a picture of this tree I immediately had to discover its location. To my surprise, it was only about 20 minutes from where I live. According to the locals, we are surprisingly the only ones they had ever seen climb it. I'm not sure how you could look at this tree and not want to climb into it. It is located in Southeastern Ohio.


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9 years 6 months ago #137051 by patty
Replied by patty on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Hi Oldtown,

A 600+ year old white oak would indeed be an incredible tree. But it would also be extraordinarily rare, and probably would be known to the scientific community, especially if it is in a public area. Please forgive my skepticism, but I'm dubious about its age. While your pictures show a tree that is fabulous!, more information would be helpful.

According to Bob Leverett, Executive Director of the Native Tree Society and one of the foremost experts on superlative trees in the United States, the oldest known white oak is on Thunder Ridge on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. Bob says it was cored and confirmed by Dr. Neil Pederson; at the time of coring, it was 564 years old or thereabout. Unfortunately, I don't know (and Bob didn't say) when it was cored, but Dr. Pederson is an established expert on old-growth trees.

So--Would you please tell us how you know that "your" tree is that old? Has someone cored it? If so, who? Or is the 600+ someone's calculation based on a general diameter to age conversion? Or is it a guess?

Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks.

patty j.

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9 years 6 months ago #137052 by Nimbadon
Replied by Nimbadon on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Wow!!!!!!! What a beauty, I would love to spend a day exploring that one.
You are very fortunate to have such a tree just down the road
If you have more pics, I'd love to drool over them ;))))))

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9 years 5 months ago #137053 by Matt Markworth
Replied by Matt Markworth on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Oldtown,

Wow, super gnarly white oak!

Any chance you can wrap a tape around it at 4 1/2 feet above the ground to see how big the circumference is?

Matt

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9 years 5 months ago #137055 by Oldtown138
Replied by Oldtown138 on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Patty,

I'm not sure on the specifics on how the age was calculated. It is in a public area and there is a plaque that read the age.


Nimbadon,

I will dig up some more pics and post them soon.


Matt Markworth,

I am currently a little bogged down with my canopy research project, however I will try to make it up to the tree in the next few weeks. Hopefully my tape is long enough!

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9 years 5 months ago #137057 by dogwood
Replied by dogwood on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Gosh,

What an extraordinary tree! I climbed a tree in the western part of NC, somewhat on the order of this one, but with a different structure, multiple leaders, The main bole was about 9' in diameter. The scaffold-ed branches on this one are really something to behold. How could you not climb it! :)
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9 years 5 months ago #137059 by Nimbadon
Replied by Nimbadon on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
I think it's great she has been given the space and respect she deserves ( gender assumption there )

I see so beautiful trees in parks with low limbs removed to allow mowers to get through, criminal really

Next time you visit, give her a hug for me :)

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9 years 5 months ago #137060 by patty
Replied by patty on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Hello all,

Apparently, Bob Leverett sent my inquiry about this tree to his friend Neil Pederson, who wrote me the following response last night.

Hi Patty,

That is a pretty cool tree, but I doubt it is 600 year old. Briefly, we’ve cored many, many white oak and have not made it to 600 years yet. Some were hollow and it could make it that long, but there has been no solid evidence of it. But, judging from the structure of the tree, all that crown intercepts a lot of energy from the Sun. If 1/2 of a tree is below ground, then the root system is equally massive. Sopping up that much nutrients, water, and Sunlight makes, often, for a fast-growing tree. That tree could have been suppressed for a long time and then released and be a few centuries old. It happened on the Inner Bluegrass of KY. The likelihood of that is small, I would guess.

neil



Neil Pederson
Harvard Forest
Harvard University
324 North Main St.
Petersham, MA 01366

http://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu
978.756.6141
http://broadleafpapers.wordpress.com/
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Oh well. Not a 600+ year old tree, no doubt, but a really beautiful one. I hope Matt will be able to measure it one of these days.

patty

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9 years 5 months ago #137061 by Oldtown138
Replied by Oldtown138 on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
We can all rest easy now

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9 years 4 months ago #137101 by travelingmuskrat
Replied by travelingmuskrat on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
That's me up in that tree !! I go to Hocking College and I was there on that fine Easter Sunday when we climbed that colossal beast. I've visited this Tree with several of my professors from Hocking and they all say its well over 600 years old. I consider these people extremely reputable sources. Best climb I've ever done. Nice pics Nate! I was lucky enough to have this as one of my first climbs and it will stick with me forever.

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9 years 3 months ago #137160 by Oldtown138
Replied by Oldtown138 on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Matt,

We took a DBH of this tree yesterday. It was 21 feet 9 inches! The true definition of a majestic white oak!
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9 years 3 months ago #137164 by Matt Markworth
Replied by Matt Markworth on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Oldtown,

Thanks! That's impressive! Any circumference over 20' is in an elite class. I haven't seen a white oak that big down here in SW Ohio. Hopefully I can make it over there some day and see it - the crown structure is amazing.

Matt

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9 years 3 months ago #137189 by Mobejo
Replied by Mobejo on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Hey Oldtown,
Mind sharing the coordinates of this oak? I'm in SW Ohio and get over to Hocking Hills frequently to rappel. I'd love to check out this tree.
Mo

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9 years 3 weeks ago #137281 by Sycamore
Replied by Sycamore on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
This tree was measured in October 2014 by the Ohio Champion Tree Coordinator. The tools used were kesson tape for circumference, hypsometer for height(confirmed with clinometer), spread also kesson tape.

Measurements:

Circumference-265" or 22' 1"
Height- 80'
Crown spread-114'
Total Points-373
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9 years 3 weeks ago #137282 by Matt Markworth
Replied by Matt Markworth on topic 600+ Year Old White Oak
Cool, thanks for the update! I've been up around the Hocking Hills Region lately, but still haven't had a chance to go by this tree.

Matt

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