Sometimes we like to share information here on the Cartwright Tree Care blog that will be helpful to you in caring for your trees, and sometimes we just like to share information that we find to be interesting or fun. Today is one of those days for interesting and fun information, so we’re going to talk about American’s National Tree – the oak tree.
Congress passed legislation in November of 2004 designating the oak tree as America’s National Tree. The National Arbor Day Foundation hosted voting on its website for a four-month period and the oak was a clear front-runner after the first day with over 101,000 votes.
Oak have been loved for years for the shade, beauty, and lumber, but they have also been a part of several important events in American history. For example, Andrew Jackson used the Sunnybrook Oaks of Louisiana for shelter while traveling to the Battle of New Orleans.
“Having oak as our National Tree is in keeping with the wishes of hundreds of thousands of people who helped choose this striking symbol of our nation’s great strength,” said John Rosenow of The National Arbor Day Foundation. “The United States is blessed with a wealth of tree species – more than twice as many as all of Europe – and trees have played a key role in our nation’s history.”
Now, the next time someone asks you if you know what our national tree is, you’ll be ready with an answer!
Photo credit: Itsnature.org.