Fairchild Oak

This article is being considered by several publications in my area. To see pictures of the tree, click here.

We have all heard this saying: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. We know that it is a warning to learn from our mistakes, something some people never seem to do. It’s kind of negative, though, and as part of an ongoing series about the history of the Flagler/Volusia area, let’s change that adage a bit to remove its negative connotation just enough to get you out to experience some of the things that shaped our little corner of the world. “Those who do not remember the past should get out and see it, because it’s right here”.

Many people in this area are transplants from another place, and many newcomers are taken aback by the differences in Floridian plant life from that of the northern climes. There are no palm trees in Washington DC, but they make a big deal out of the cherry blossoms there. Collinsville, Illinois produces upwards of 60 percent of the world’s horseradish, but they don’t have mangrove swamps. New York has oak trees, but they don’t have southern live oaks. And right about now, you might be wondering what the heck this has to do with the history of this area? Read on to remember the past, then get out and see it because it’s right here.

I mentioned horseradish and flowering cherries above, but I could also have thrown in alfalfa, nectarines, dates and mangoes. Like many of Florida’s citizens, these floras are transplants. In fact, there are over 20,000 different plants that were introduced to America by one man who is silently honored here in Volusia County with a most fitting memorial. Near the Flagler County line stands a living monument to David Grandison Fairchild, a man who, by any stretch, could arguably be the most influential man in US agricultural history. If you follow Beach Street north, you will find the Fairchild Oak, located directly across from the entrance to Halifax Plantation on the “loop”.

The Fairchild Oak is a massive thing, nearly 100 feet tall with a canopy that spreads 220+ feet in all directions from the trunk. Its trunk diameter is over 20 feet, which makes its circumference almost 63 feet around. You can’t wrap your arms around it no matter how much of a tree hugger you are. In preparation for this article, I tried to find out (as closely as possible) the age of the Fairchild Oak. I had seen estimates from 200 to over 800 years, and that seemed like a pretty large gap. I mean, can’t you just cut off a piece and count the rings? Since I’m not a botanist, I asked one so I could provide you with the answer.

Live Oak trees are not actually oaks. They are evergreens, and are only found south of Virginia. They have been here for a long time, but how old is the Fairchild Oak? I asked Dr. Francis E. Putz of the University of Central Florida for his advice. (Just so you know, Dr. Putz has a PhD from Cornell, and a post-doctorate from Oxford. I hear those are pretty good schools). According to Dr. Putz: “Unlike many other species of oak, live oak does not set down readable annual rings, so even with a core sample, aging a tree is difficult…200-800 years is a big spread, but live oaks are capable of surprisingly fast growth, but then can persist for a long time...I'd rather doubt the 800 year estimate, but could readily accept 400”. So there you have it.

Let’s assume that the Fairchild Oak is 400 years old. When the seedling of the Fairchild Oak first popped out of the ground in 1607, it would be five more years until the King James Bible would be published. William Shakespeare was alive and writing plays. Leeches were routinely used medicinally and the Spanish Inquisition was focusing on condemning Protestants as heretics. Closer to home, Jamestown, the first English settlement in modern America was founded, although St. Augustine already had a church and a school by then. These things we know second hand by reading history books, but the Fairchild Oak is a contemporary of all these events and more.

A sign at the site of the tree reads, in part: “This live oak has withstood hurricane winds, fires, droughts, wars and the follies of mankind.” The text of the sign seems to focus on the negative, as if the tree bears mute witness only to natural hardships and the foolish things people do. Why not do something positive? Take a picnic lunch and let the kids play beneath the shady canopy of the venerable oak. Explain to them how old the tree is and how it is a living relic of an antiquated time. Maybe you’re searching for that perfect place to profess your love for another. The Fairchild Oak’s majesty positively exudes romance with its silent might and lush surroundings. Just a few steps from the real world, the site allows lovers to forget the ordinary and concentrate on each other. What could be more natural and conducive to love than people at peace?

For all of this romanticizing, it is still just a tree, and there are those who would treat it as such, as if it were a nuisance. Indeed, plans are in the works for a golf course and subdivision in the heart of the forest surrounding the Fairchild Oak. There is an organization dedicated to protecting the stand of forest that contains it. Contact them at http://savetheloop.org/contacts.html. Like any living thing, the Fairchild Oak will eventually die, and Volusia County will be diminished by its passing. However, if the tree does not die of natural causes, the county will be guilty of the greatest folly the tree has seen, and Volusia County will forever be stained with the mark of greed. We will be morally bound to hang our heads in shame if the Fairchild Oak dies by the hand of man rather than the hand of nature that created it.

For at least 400 years, the Fairchild Oak has stood, and it still stands today, ready to welcome gazers, lovers, thinkers, children and anyone who appreciates the simple wonder of nature. So turn off that TV and video game, pack that picnic basket, put on your walking shoes and take a stroll through the antiquity that lies almost in your back yard. Stand in awe of nature and see for yourself that it will work wonders for your soul for the price of nothing.