Tree Information
Common Name: live oak
Scientific Name: Quercus virginiana
Native/Naturalized: Native to Virginia
Database ID: 718
Status: alive
National Champion: no
Virginia Champion: yes
Trunk Girth: 288 in.
Tree Height: 58 ft.
Crown Spread: 88 ft.
Points: 368
Date Last Measured: 2017
Last Measured by: Carol King, Laura Marlowe, Rand Milam, Aaron Firth
Date First Measured: 1975
Comments:
This tree is known as the Algernourne oak, named for the fort that originally stood at this location. The first fort built in 1609 was a wooden stockade named for English Lord Algernourne. That fort burned down and two successive forts were destroyed by hurricanes. Construction began on the existing fort in 1819 and was named for U.S. President James Monroe. Fort Monroe was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, and recognized as the Fort Monroe National Monument through an executive order signed by President Barack Obama in 2011. An extensive timeline of the land's history is provided at https://fortmonroe.org/history-education/history.
The Algernourne oak was featured in the "Remarkable Trees of Virginia" (published in 2008) in the first chapter highlighting old trees. The authors describe an effort to age the tree as follows, "Virginia Tech's R.J. Stipes, professor of plant pathology and physiology, has estimated that the Algernourne oak may have germinated in 1540. How could we know? The date is just an estimate, but is based on real evidence. In 1997 (editor's note: this date is actually 1977 and has been discovered as a typo in the book by the authors), Stipes and colleagues conducted a study at Fort Monroe during which several live oaks were cored to determine their ages. The Algernourne oak was not cored, but based on data from nearby trees, the researchers came up with an average number of tree rings per inch of trunk diameter. By their estimates, the Algernourne oak was 437 years old in 1977."
Recent consultation with Dr. Carolyn Copenheaver, professor of forest ecology and expert in dendrochronology at Virginia Tech, states that Stipes' aging technique is highly uncertain and that there is very limited scientific literature to support a live oak lifespan of this extreme. In a literature review of tree lifespans, Loehle (1988), reported the typical longevity of live oak as 200 years and the maximum longevity as 300 years (source: https://doi.org/10.1139/x88-032). The Fort Monroe Authority possesses a photo from 1870 that shows the Algernourne oak in the background as a nearly mature tree of considerable size. Further investigation into the age of the tree is ongoing by National Park Service and Fort Monroe Authority.
2017 comments: Trunk circumference was measured at 22" above ground due to forked trunk.
2006 comments: No big tree documentation existed for the tree between 1975 and 2006. In that year, the tree was measured and nominated by Fort Monroe staff member Becky Holland and local tree advocate Debbie Blanton. Their measurements of the tree were 57' height, 97' average crown spread, and 252" trunk circumference measured below the fork at 2.5' above ground level.
1975 comments: Tree was first measured and nominated to the big tree register in 1975 by VDOF foresters Leon App and Elmer Rackley. The trunk was measured below the fork at 2.5' above ground level, and measured 242" in circumference. Height was 63' and average crown spread was 92'.
Location of Tree
Tree is located in: City of Hampton
Land Owner: National Park Service
GPS Coordinates: 37.004154, -76.306055
Owner Email: aaron_firth@nps.gov
Directions: Off I-64, take exit 268 (the last before entering the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel eastbound), left onto S. Mallory St, right on E. Mellon St. Continue about 0.6 miles until you cross over small bridge and causeway onto Fort Monroe. Proceed into moated fort, then to SE corner of the parade ground, in front of 163 Bernard Rd.
Owner Address: 41 Bernard Rd (Bldg #17, Lee's Quarters)
Fort Monroe, VA 23651-1001
Owner Phone: 757-722-3678
Contact Information
Contact Name: Aaron Firth
Contact Email: aaron_firth@nps.gov
Contact Address: 41 Bernard Rd (Bldg #17, Lee's Quarters)
Fort Monroe, VA 23651-1001
Contact Phone: 757-722-3678
Contact Info: Françoise Bonnell: Director of Museums, Education, and Interpretation, Fort Monroe Authority, fbonnell@fortmonroe.org
Nominators
Original Nominator(s): Leon App and Elmer Rackley
Additional Information
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