A Must-See Tree
Let me go out on a limb and plant a seed that some trees stand out just a bit more than all the others in the forest. In Copper’s hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, that exceptional tree is called the Angel Oak.
When you look, you see . . . an amazing tree!
Unlike many things in nature, there is only one place where you can spot the Angel Oak, and that is on Johns Island in Charleston, South Carolina. The good news is that since the tree has been there for more than 300 years, it should be there waiting for you when you get a chance to make the trip!
In the meantime, there are other amazing trees all over the United States, like the famous sequoias, redwoods, etc. The National Champion Tree Program is a registry of the largest trees of each type in the USA. You can browse through to find one near you and plan a field trip! https://www.americanforests.org/champion-trees/champion-trees-registry/
You can climb into these facts, but no climbing on the Angel Oak!
There is no substitute for seeing the Angel Oak in person, but the resources below will give you a little hint about what you’ll see when you get there!
Kids, remember to ask a parent, teacher, or librarian for help whenever you are looking for books or using the Internet. I always try to make sure to share kid-friendly books and resources, but websites are changing all the time, so always check with an adult first.
- If you’d like to make a trip out to see the Angel Oak for yourself, and I highly recommend it if you can, you can get info about visiting the park from the City of Charleston. https://www.charleston-sc.gov/153/Angel-Oak
- The Angel Oak is an award-winning tree which includes being the first winner of South Carolina’s Heritage Tree Award (https://treessc.org/awards/) and a longtime member of the Live Oak Society, which is an exclusive society for trees with only one human permitted. https://www.lgcfinc.org/live-oak-society.html
- This short Carolina Snaps video from PBS shares a quick bit of info on Charleston’s Angel Oak:
https://www.pbs.org/video/angel-oak-xmgtws/ - Since Southern Live Oaks often live for a really long time, many are referred to as Witness Trees, because they’ve stood silently nearby as so much human history has passed by around them. This short video from the National Park Service shares a little bit more about that: https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=BCF6D5B1-F039-494C-8CA9-DDDE67A314ED