Johns Island's Angel Oak is 1st S.C. Heritage Tree

All of us in the Lowcountry are blessed with a unique botanical heritage. Just recounting the names of past explorers, botanists and naturalists who have visited or lived here over the centuries makes me proud. They include John Bartram, Andre Michaux, Alexander Garden, Joel Poinsett, John James Audubon and the Rev. John Bachman. We are fortunate to live where such an array of plants and trees can be grown. In particular, I am dazzled by our old live oaks. These trees figure prominently in our memories of childhood and surely create an atmosphere of home, a sense of place. Some trees can be priced for lumber, but others have an emotional value that cannot be quantified. Imagine our community without its old trees! A drive down Rutledge Avenue wouldn't be half as inviting, nor would the drive out S.C. Highway 61 toward the historic gardens, or the drive out Maybank Highway or Bohicket Road. As many of us know, there is quite a rare old tree on Johns Island: the Angel Oak. This tree recently was nominated by Danny Burbage, head of urban forestry for the city of Charleston, to become the first South Carolina Heritage Tree. The program was started in 2004 as a way to identify and celebrate special trees in the state. To no one's surprise, the Angel Oak won. In fact, all other nominations were withdrawn when it was nominated. According to Burbage, the thing that clinched its winning was the care it has had over the years by the city. As early as 1957, Gov. George Bell Timmerman Jr. sought to no avail to have the state adopt the tree as a public park. The city of Charleston finally purchased the tree in a tax sale in 1991 from the owner, who had fenced it off and charged admission. A park then was created and opened to the public for free. There are compelling photographs of the Angel Oak, but these can never capture its enormity. One has to see it to experience its scope and majesty. Planted by chance some 300-400 years ago, this tree has welcomed seasons, survived storms and endured while others have fallen. Said to be the "oldest living thing east of the Mississippi" by local guides, its age is difficult to determine. Even if the precise age of the Angel Oak cannot be determined, its hold on the hearts and minds of locals and visitors is no mystery. I imagine it as a teenager or even in middle age serving as a guidepost to Indians and animals, and I imagine the many generations of birds, insects and animals that have found a home there over hundreds of years. The tree is on land that once was part of "The Point," a local plantation that became the property of Justin Angel when he married the daughter of the previous owner in 1810 -- hence the name, the Angel Oak. In those days, Johns Island was a remote rural island rarely visited or known by outsiders. It is easy to conclude that because of this remoteness, the Angel Oak has survived. It hasn't been in the way of development and bulldozers. It hasn't been an inconvenience the way some younger grand trees have been, ending up in the lumber yard before their time is up. I propose that as a community, under the aegis of this fledgling organization, we find those trees, protect them and name them. Instead of naming our bridges, highways and overpasses for people, let's name these trees for them. Christopher Gadsden, the signers of the Magna Carta and the Founding Fathers in Boston all had something in common. They met with their followers under a tree, and they shared a hope for liberty. In Charleston our Liberty Tree, where Gadsden met with his followers, was on Wragg's Plantation. This tree is now honored with a newly planted tree on the grounds of Gaillard Auditorium. Our community cares so much that we have honored a tree that has long since died. Just recently, I sat at the base of the Middleton Oak looking out over the gauzy waters of the Ashley River. The calming energy of that old tree seeped into me, connecting me to a mysterious power that reminded me of my reason for being. This is priceless. Where are our future Angel Oaks? Will we decide to allow these trees to ripen gracefully into a dignified old age, one that our descendants hence can enjoy and be proud of? What we do now will tell them something about our own value. Do you want to know more about the South Carolina Heritage Trees program? Started by the S.C. Urban and Community Forestry Council, it has a Web site and a quarterly newsletter, The Acorn. Do you want to nominate a tree for next year? Nomination forms are available by writing the council at P.O. Box 21707, Columbia, S.C. 29221; by calling (803) 781-9817; or via the Web site, www.scurbanforestry.org

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