Did You Know? Georgia is home to approximately 250 different tree species. That’s no small number, but it’s nothing compared to the whopping 60,000 different species of trees on our planet!

​Beyond the simple satisfaction you get when you look at a tree and know what it is, recognizing the different types of trees can help you assess the ones you have on your property, or the ones outside your in-law’s house. Knowing a tree’s species means you can look that specific tree species up, and learn what to expect from them. Will they drop all their leaves in the fall? Should you worry about them in a heavy rainstorm?  There are too many species to know all of them by heart, of course, and certainly too many to recognize even half of them on sight. But there are a few main types of trees you’ll find around Georgia, and more specifically, the Athens and Watkinsville areas.

​Maple

​Maples are easy to spot thanks to their palmate leaves. That’s a fancy word for a leaf stem that has multiple lobes spreading out from the base. If you’ve seen the Canadian flag, you’ve seen a maple leaf!  ​The most common maple trees in Georgia are the sugar maple, red maple, and striped maple. All three lose their leaves in the fall, but not before offering a stunning display of oranges, yellows, reds, and even rusty purples. Their fallen leaves make great leaf piles for children (and fur babies) to play in.

​Hickory

​All hickories have similar leaf patterns, making them easy to identify. They grow stalks, each of which will have anywhere from 5 to 17 leaves on it. Barring mutations, the leaves grow in oppositional pairs, which means they mirror each other along either side of the stalk. One leaf grows from the end of the stalk, making the total number odd. The pair of leaves closest to the base of the stalk are usually much smaller than the rest.

​The leaves themselves can range from 2 to 8 inches long, depending on the age and size of the tree, and have little serrations all along their edges. These serrations can be sharp and pointy, or more rounded, but they’re almost always subtle.

​Oaks

​Again, there are a few different types of oak trees native to our area, including white oaks, scarlet oaks, water oaks, willow oaks, and live oaks. Live oaks are probably the most widely known; they’re the ancient behemoths that grow along Georgia’s coastline, like Savannah, and are always dripping with Spanish moss.

​Pines ​And last, but certainly not least, come the pine trees. Pines make up the large portion of Georgia’s forests, and are probably the most easily recognized. Though there are dozens of pine species, like the loblolly, eastern white, and longleaf pine, all of them have the characteristic, evergreen needles that serve as leaves. When young, pines grow tall and skinny. Once they reach maturity, they’ll start filling out near the base and end up with a more triangular shape that you might associate with Christmas trees (although real Christmas trees aren’t actually pines). Learn more about loblolly pines here!

Author

Emily Casuccio is sister and sister-in-law to Rebekah and Scott Rushing, and has over half a decade of experience in copywriting, copyediting, proofreading, and developmental storyboarding. She's worked with both published and undiscovered authors on both fiction and nonfiction, and takes pride in supporting local businesses. Her passion lies in the written word and helping authors of all capacities realize their dreams and achieve their fullest potential. To learn more about her, read samples of her work, or contact her, visit her online portfolio. 

Whereas in many of the States of the Union some tree indigenous to the soil of the State has been chosen as an emblem of its sovereignty; and

Whereas hitherto the General Assembly of Georgia has made no such selection; and

Whereas the live-oak, being a tree indigenous to the soil of our State and especially flourishing along the Coastal plains and islands thereof where the first settlers and founders of this State resided, and which tree is so closely associated with our early history, and particularly with the lives of many famous Georgians such as General James Edward Oglethorpe, John Wesley and Sidney Lanier;

Be it therefore resolved by the House of Representatives of Georgia, the Senate concurring, that, at the suggestion and request of Edmund Burke Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, the live-oak be and the same is hereby adopted as and declared to be the official tree emblematic of the State of Georgia.

​Live Oaks (also known as Virginia Live Oaks, thanks to their scientific name, Quercus virginiana) are well-known for their looks. They grow just as wide as they do tall, which is saying something, considering mature Live Oaks can reach heights of 65 to 85 feet. Their trunks are usually so big around that multiple people would have to join hands to fully circle it.

DID YOU KNOW?  The largest Live Oak on record was discovered in 1976 close to Louisburg, Louisiana. Its trunk diameter measured 11.65 feet across, and its branches reached 55 feet into the sky. But what made this tree a national champion was its crown spread, which stretched 132 feet wide!

​On average, adult Live Oaks stand around 40 to 50 feet tall, with a crown spread around 80 feet and branches that measure up to 5 or 6 feet in diameter. They’re considered one of the faster-growing trees when young, clocking around 2 feet of height per year. Once they’re established, however, that growth rate slows down significantly. The growth rate of fully matured Live Oaks is almost entirely stalled, as they devote most of their energy to supporting their massive size.    As you might be able to guess, Live Oaks grow best in well-drained, sandy soil with plenty of moisture, and prefer high humidity and full sun—exactly what you find along the coast. They can tolerate drier climates and more compact soils, but they will grow much slower and likely won’t reach their full potential. Live Oaks that do grow in their favorite environment are one of the longest-living oak species. On average, any given Live Oak you see is probably 200 to 300 years old.

​Though they often appear lighter green thanks to the interspersing of Spanish Moss, Live Oak leaves are actually a dark green, and covered with a waxy coating that protects them from salt spray. Unlike other oak species that lose their leaves seasonally, Live Oaks are nearly evergreen. Old leaves will yellow and drop only when new leaves begin to push through, sometime around late winter to early spring.

​Live Oaks are generally pruned when young to establish one strong, central trunk structure, but otherwise require little to no maintenance. They are susceptible to a fungal gall called leaf blister, but this usually only disfigures a few leaves and doesn’t cause any serious damage. You can rake up and burn or otherwise dispose of infected leaves to help reduce the chances of a tree contracting the fungus again. While other oak species are at a high risk for oak wilt disease, which can kill even the largest of trees, there have been no documented cases of oak wilt in Live Oaks, potentially because of their salty surroundings.

Author

Emily Casuccio is sister and sister-in-law to Rebekah and Scott Rushing, and has over half a decade of experience in copywriting, copyediting, proofreading, and developmental storyboarding. She's worked with both published and undiscovered authors on both fiction and nonfiction, and takes pride in supporting local businesses. Her passion lies in the written word and helping authors of all capacities realize their dreams and achieve their fullest potential. To learn more about her, read samples of her work, or contact her, visit her online portfolio. 

Trees Clean the Air

​Trees Reduce Water Pollution

​When it rains, water runs down the sides of the street and through various ditches and drains until it reaches the nearest creek, river, or lake. Eventually, that water will either make its way to the ocean, or to the groundwater supply. This wouldn’t be a problem, except ​ this water will encounter oil  build-up on

​Trees Save Water

​Trees Prevent Soil Erosion

​Trees Offer Shade

Whether you’re walking on the sidewalk in the park or enjoying an iced tea on your back porch, having trees around to shade you from the hot sun is always nice. Shade is also important for children playing outside, because it not only helps prevent energetic toddlers from overheating, but it also helps filter out harmful UV rays that could burn their skin. Shade is also a good thing to have if you have pets that you let spend time outside, so they don’t get too hot and have a nice, cool place to relax.

​Trees Cool Down the Streets

Trees Save Energy – and Money on Your Power Bill With all that shade and helping lower the temperature around you, trees help keep your home cooler. A cooler home doesn’t need to run the AC as much. In fact, just three strategically-placed trees around your home could cut up to 50% off your monthly power bill.

Trees Provide Wood

Trees Provide Food

Fruit trees are a great source of nutrition, not only for the animals in the area, but for us as well. A single apple tree can grow between 15 and 20 bushels of apples in a year, which is more than enough to supply your family with applesauce, apple cobbler, and apple butter for the winter. Fruit trees don’t have to take up much room, meaning you can keep them even in a crowded neighborhood.

​Trees Create Jobs

​Trees Generate More Business 

Trees Increase Property Value

​Trees Act as Barriers Trees are valuable as both visual and auditory barriers in a variety of situations. Cities will often plant rows of trees to obscure unsightly concrete walls, or line them up between a neighborhood and nearby highway to help reduce the sounds of cars on the road for families. Most parking lots are also broken up with trees, which can help mark the lanes and flow of traffic.

Trees Reduce Violence

Trees Are Playgrounds for Children

To a child, a tree can be almost anything. A sentry guarding the magic castle, or a tower concealing a sleeping princess. A wild jungle with new species to discover, or a private escape to take a quick nap under. Trees have fostered creativity in humans for ages, and help improve a child’s creativity, logic skills, problem-solving, and critical thinking, all of which are vital to their development.

​Trees Are Green

​Trees Can Heal

Trees Make You Smarter

​Trees Foster Community

Author

Emily Casuccio is sister and sister-in-law to Rebekah and Scott Rushing, and has over half a decade of experience in copywriting, copyediting, proofreading, and developmental storyboarding. She's worked with both published and undiscovered authors on both fiction and nonfiction, and takes pride in supporting local businesses. Her passion lies in the written word and helping authors of all capacities realize their dreams and achieve their fullest potential. To learn more about her, read samples of her work, or contact her, visit her online portfolio.