Calling All Giant Oaks to Membership in the Live Oak Society

Southport Forestry Committee – Roxie Smith

If you have a live oak on your property that measures 8’ or more in circumference (96” or more) at a point 4 ½ feet above the ground, it is eligible for membership in the Live Oak Society. Trees, not their owners, are the members, and the president of the Society is the largest live oak in the nation, currently the Seven Sisters Oak in Mandeville, Louisiana. That oak is nearly 40 feet in circumference and is estimated to be at least 1,000 years old.

If your live oak, at 4 ½ feet above the ground, measures between 8’ and 16’ in circumference (between 96” and 192”), it is eligible to be a Junior League Tree. If it measures more than 16’ in circumference (more than 192”), it is eligible for membership as a Centenarian Tree.

The Live Oak Society was established in 1934 to promote appreciation for and preservation of the live oak tree. It is operated under the auspices of the Louisiana Garden Club Federation and has only one “human” member, a chairperson who is responsible for registering and recording the members, that is, the trees.

Southport should be well-represented in the Society but currently has only two members: the Bay Street Oak (owned by Jill & Wayne Berry) and Hardee’s Sweetheart (owned by Carol Bailey). So many more of our oaks are eligible, so the Forestry Committee is launching a campaign to help owners secure membership for their trees.

The application process is easy. Just go to https://www.lgcfinc.org/live-oak-society.html and download and print the Live Oak Registration Form. Complete the form and mail it via the U.S. postal service to the address on the form. Use a separate form for each tree you wish to register. There is no fee to register your tree(s) with the Society, although donations are always welcome. If you would like assistance, contact Scott Len, chair of the Forestry Committee, at [email protected] or Roxie Smith at [email protected]. They would be happy to come and help with measurements.

Let’s give our trees the recognition they deserve!