Gulfport Live Oak   tuce-@msn.com
  Dec 15, 2006 11:45 PST 

Ents       

Hello all. I mailed Neil a sample of a Live Oak from Ms.
blown down by Hurricane Katrina. 


Gulfport Live Oak - 28’6” CBH      48’ Height    130’  Spread  - photo by Larry Tucei

The postal clerk told me of a Live Oak
quite large in west-cental Gulfport, Ms. I thanked him for sharing this
with me and a few days later was able to go and find this tree. WOW!
This Oak is the largest Dia. tree in Ms., that I have measured to date.
9'6" Dia., 28'6" CBH, 45' Height, and 130' spread. The spread would have
been much larger but some limbs have been broken off from past
Hurricanes. Hurricane of 1947, Hurricane Camille in 1969, and Hurricane
Katrina in 2005., to name a few, over the centuries there have been many
more. 


Gulfport Live Oak - trunk detail - photo by Larry Tucei

Gulfport Live Oak - trunk detail - photo by Larry Tucei

There are hundreds of small seedling trees surrounding the base.
I will collect some for future growth. Our Oak sample that Neil has will
help prove the ages of Specimens like this. I'm guessing around 400
years old. 

 
Large Live Oak - Congratulations   Robert Leverett
  Dec 15, 2006 12:42 PST 

Larry,

   Congratulations and WOW, is right! Holy Toledo, while some of us have
been sitting on our laurels, you go quietly forth and smoke us all. I
can't wait to get down there and see some of the live oaks in
Mississippi and Louisiana. You've probably seen the ENTS account of the
Middleton Live Oak in South Carolina on the website.

   I am beginning to realize that there is a treasure of huge live oaks
scattered over the deep South that we in Yankeeland never even hear
about. Maybe Ed can establish a special web section devoted to great
southern live oaks. What a fabulous tree. It deserves our full
attention.

   BTW, can we clone you? Your contributions to ENTS are steadily
mounting. So, what's next? Can I put in an order? We gotta have a
160-foot sweetgum. Will Blozan measured a gum in Congaree to 157 feet in
height some years ago. There's got to be a 160-footer out there
somewhere.

   Now when Beth gets all of her tree-measuring equipment and a little
practice with it, I have a feeling that the big tree reports from the
Midwest are going to start flowing. Between the Midwest and deep South,
those of us in New England are going to have to eat humble pie. But
that's okay. Sometimes we need to be taken down a peg or two.

Bob
RE: Large Live Oak - Congratulations   tuce-@msn.com
  Dec 15, 2006 13:46 PST 

Bob,    

Thanks bob, I thought about maybe compiling a Live Oak listing
of say the 20 largest, oldest Live Oaks on the Ms., Gulfcoast. The
Middleton Oak is huge, maybe some day I will see it!   When I go to
Bienville National Forest, Pascagoula Mgt. Area or Noxubee National
Wildlife Refuge I'll try and find a large sweetgum for you. All of these
areas have Potential records in Ms. 

Larry