Upland Forest at Washington Birthplace

The first half of the nature trail presents two dominant tree species that makes Washington Birthplace's forest unique. The tallest needle bearing trees with cones (coniferous) are Loblolly Pines. The tallest leaf shedding trees (deciduous) are Willow Oaks. Together these two trees create a unique and rare association. These giants, although second growth, date back over 200 years. The National Association for Trees has awarded one of Washington Birthplace's Loblolly Pines as the state champion due to it being the largest in the state. The largest examples were undoubtably saplings when George Washington roamed these woods as a child.

The Forest Giants

Willow Oak, (Quercus phellos)

willow like leaf pattern and tree shape

 

 

 

Others Species of the Upland Forest at Washington Birthplace

More oaks

There are 34 species of Oaks found in the United States, with 19 of these species found in Virginia. The mighty Willow Oak at Popes Creek share the understory of their canopies with 3 easily identifiable Oaks.

 

Post Oak (Quercus stellata)

White Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)

 

 

Washington Birthplace's Evergreens

Approximately 5 other species of Pines are capable of growing at Popes Creek, but few of these seem to establish themselves as well as the Loblolly Pine. The Eastern Red Cedar is another evergreen tree that has adapted well to this area. Pines and cedar trees were useful to Colonial America because of their soft woods. "Heart of Pine" was a choice wood for house paneling. Cedar trees defend themselves by manufacturing a biochemical ingrediant that repels harmful parasitic bacteria, fungii and insects. Colonial Americans cherished cedar wood and used the unique smelling wood to make chests to protect clothing items and roof shingles impervious to termites.

 

 

 

Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

 

 

Yellow-poplar (left) split well, and was used to make fence rails and shingles. Sweetgum (below) was a choice carving wood. Colonial people made utensiles and bowls from Sweetgum.

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

 

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

 

 `

 

 

 

 

 

          

Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)

distinctive second year opened cone and tree shape

 

 

 

 

Swamp Chestnut Oak (Quercus michauxii)

or

Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)

 

 

 

Oak was the principal building wood for homes and furniture in 18th Century Virginia. The plantation cultures also relied onOak bark for medicinal remedies in treating loose teeth and varicose veins. (see footnote 3)

 

 

 

Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana)

The Eastern Redcedar is actually a Juniper.

 

 

Diverse Hardwoods at Washington Birthplace

Hackberry is a unique species that when aged has a distinctive knotted bark. In Colonial times the red berry was used as a meat tenderizer. The wood was highly prized for church pews.

 

 

 

 

Yellow-poplar a.k.a Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

 

 

Black Cherry (prunus serotina)

or

Common Chokecherry (prunus virginiana)

 

 

The King's Tree

British Navy ship builders explored the forest of Colonial Virginia in search of tall, straight trees similiar to the ones present today at Washington's Birthplace. These perfect specimens were marked with the "King's Stamp" for later retrival when the masts for tall ships were needed. Settlers could easily recognize the mark of the King and would face severe consequences if the King's tree was felled or damaged. Colonial Virginia was the prized Fourth Dominion of the King of England in part because of its wonderful timber and other resources. These resources aided Great Britian in its dominance over all other naval powers in its 18th century conquest of the globe. (see footnote 2)

Did you know that in the late 1740s George Washington eagerly wanted to join the British Navy only to be denied by his mother?

 

 

 

Washington Birthplace's upland forest is dominated by the unique combination of Loblolly Pine and Willow Oak, as well as several other species. This mature forest has a closed canopy; the branches of all the large trees come together to block much of the sunlight from the forest floor. As a result, only the few plants that can tolerate low light levels and relatively dry conditions grow beneath them. This is called a depauperate understory. One of these plants is the tiny red-berried creeper called Patridgeberry (Mitchella repens).

One negative legacy of Colonial America was the removal of the largest and best formed trees. With the best trees gone, the high quality seed source was removed. Poorer quality trees were left to reproduce. These inferior trees were perhaps crooked and lacked the genes to grow very tall. The result was a forest of trees lacking the qualities that made a "King's Tree".

Did George Washington foresee these negative side effects of unchecked human advancement?

next page

return to Nature Trail Guide

return to Main Page