City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/105677
Bob Thibodeaux and Acorns of Hope Live oak foliage with acorns • Photo by Franklin Bonner, USFS (ret.), Bugwood.org B ob Thibodeaux writes, "The great natu- ralist Audubon wrote that the finest live oaks of the world grew along the southern Louisiana coastline, which is where I gather my acorns." Thibodeaux is the longtime proprietor of Bob's Tree Preservation (www.bobstree.com) and well known for his passion for live oaks. If you meet him in your travels, he will likely offer you acorns from his pockets. The mission of the non-profit Thibodeaux founded, Acorns of Hope (www.acornsofhope.org), is "to plant trees and educate the community on coastal erosion and the importance of replacing trees destroyed in the devastations of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and the many other recent storms that have ravaged the coastline." In addition to donating 10,000 live oak trees from its own nursery, Acorns of Hope organizes a yearly bike ride to raise money for tree planting in the Coastal and Prairie Communities of South Louisiana. Thibodeaux collects acorns himself for growing trees in the nursery. According to the Acorns of Hope website, "At our Acorns of Hope Nursery, we are planting the very best acorns from quality parent plants. Then we choose to plant in harsh conditions, without irrigation and fertilizers or staking, to imitate stringent coastal conditions ... Many of the trees planted at the farm come from the seeds of recognized live oaks in the Louisiana area: Bob has collected acorns from historical oaks such as the Jim Bowie Live Oak, Tree of Seven Sisters, Evangeline Live Oak, The Spider Live Oak, St. John Cathedral Live Oak, Calcasieu Manor Live Oak, Alamo Oaks, Majestic Live Oak, 250-year-old Boudreaux and Thibodeaux Live Oaks and the Angel Oak (estimated to be approximately 1400 years old)... our live oaks grow to become strong, well-rooted trees, perfect candidates to transplant and reforest our hurricanedamaged part of the world." SMA's Steve Shurtz says, "Nobody loves live oaks more than Bob Thibodeaux." We take our hats off to this champion of the 2013 SMA Urban Tree of the Year. 16 Photo by Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org The two live oak species in our neck of the woods are the coastal live oak (Quercus virginiana) and the plateau live oak (Quercus fusiformis). Live oaks are one of the most versatile and valuable tree species we have. Not only do they help provide clean air and water, capture stormwater, and provide oxygen, beauty, and superb wildlife habitat; they are also extremely tough and drought hardy. When they do expire, large trees are valued for woodworking and smaller trees can be used for barbeques and fireplaces. In harsh tree wells in the urban environment where other species would give up the ghost, live oaks can survive and provide their wonderful shade and beauty. In our oldest municipal park in Texas, San Pedro Springs Park (second oldest in the United States), the old live oaks provide an emotional link with the past. Citizens can visit the park and imagine early San Antonians picnicking under the draping canopies with limbs so long and heavy that they touch the ground. It is for these and so many other reasons close to each citizen's heart that the live oak is one of the most loved, revered, and treasured species in San Antonio. —Michael Nentwich, City Forester, San Antonio, Texas, Parks & Recreation A Legacy Oak on a rural Baton Rouge, Louisiana property • Photo by R. Robert Rackley City Trees