Great Middleton Oak in peril
Tree specialists called in to assess breaking branches
Photo Gallery
The Middleton oak
Designated a Constitution Tree in 1989, the Middleton oak is about 67 feet tall and about 118 feet around at its crown. Tree specialists are trying to determine why the great oak's branches are snapping off.
Middleton Oak stats
Height 67.4 feet
Diameter 10.4 feet
Crown spread 118 feet
Total volume of wood 4,820 square feet
Estimated age 500 years
Video
Tree experts asses the damage to the live oak tree at Middleton Place which recently lost a large branch. Watch »
SUMMERVILLE — A massive branch about 5 feet in diameter snapped off the Middleton Oak as Sidney Frazier worked elsewhere at Middleton Place.
"I was on the other end of the garden, and I could hear it," said Frazier, Middleton's vice president of horticulture. "It sounded like thunder."
The first branch broke off around 2 p.m. Wednesday. Later that night, a far larger limb cracked and slammed to the ground, blocking a garden path.
Robert Van Pelt, a research ecologist with the University of Washington's College of Forest Resources, knows the Middleton Oak better than most.
In 2004, he and four colleagues spent 10 hours in the tree, one of the nation's largest, meticulously measuring its limbs.
"Everyone goes to see the Angel Oak (on Johns Island), but I was more impressed with that tree," Van Pelt said. "It is a lot bigger. The other has a wide crown and all that, but Middleton is actually the largest oak in all of eastern North America. It might be the largest oak in the United States."
The tree began growing on the Ashley River's banks centuries before 1741, when Henry Middleton — later president of the First Continental Congress — started a plantation there.
The tree eventually became an iconic feature of a 60-acre landscaped garden that has no shortage of iconic views.
"It's one of our most popular wedding spots," said Pat Kennedy, Middleton's vice president of marketing. "A lot of people have been engaged and married under this tree."
The limbs that fell were connected with steel cables, but Frazier said those lines were designed not to support the branches' weight but simply to prevent them from swaying too much in a strong wind.
Van Pelt said Middleton is the state's largest tree if you measure the volume of its wood, which was almost 5,000 square feet before the loss of two of its limbs. "Angel Oak would probably be around 3,500 square feet or something, though they're both amazing."
The only larger tree on the East Coast is a bald cypress in Florida, he said.
On Thursday afternoon, a football-field size section of the gardens was cordoned off with yellow caution tape so visitors wouldn't get too close.
Frazier looked on as five workers with Bartlett Tree Experts propped two telephone poles underneath branches closest to the largest one that snapped. Other Bartlett experts plan to fly to Charleston today to examine what happened and help advise what to do next.
At this point, there are more questions than answers.
No one is sure why the limbs broke, when more might break, what can be done to stabilize the tree or when Middleton visitors might be allowed to walk underneath it again.
"Whatever we do, we've got to make sure it's the right thing the first time," Frazier said. "We won't get a second chance."
Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@post andcourier.com.
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Comments
This article has 17 comment(s)
Posted by Reader on April 11, 2008 at 7:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
According to the article, "Van Pelt said Middleton is the state's largest tree if you measure the volume of its wood, which was almost 5,000 square feet before the loss of two of its limbs."
Either he meant to say that the Middleton Oak is (1) the largest tree if you measure the SURFACE AREA, which was almost 5,000 SQUARE feet before the loss of two limbs or (2) the largest tree if you measure the volume of its wood which was almost 5,000 CUBIC feet before the loss of two limbs.
You cannot measure volume in square feet.
Posted by ImplantedYankee on April 11, 2008 at 8:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Slow news day?
Posted by tbird on April 11, 2008 at 8:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Please consider one thing: the scenic highways we all love are canopied in live oaks. It is only a matter of time b-4 one of these massive limbs falls on a vehicle with dire results.
Posted by Zod on April 11, 2008 at 9:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
tbird, I'll take my chances. I could not believe the sight of the last time highway 61 was butchered over a decade ago. I am no tree hugger. I just love the majesty of a grand live oak.
Posted by 512c on April 11, 2008 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
They should definitely leave it, I hear that some trees need their branches to break off.... Not enough is known about these trees..
Posted by 512c on April 11, 2008 at 9:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The "Constitution Tree" knows what is happening to our constitution........... And is dying ;)
No joke really..
Posted by jammer on April 11, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ditto that Zod, hwy 61 used to be absolutely amazing... and living on it I never realized how much so until they butchered it back then...
fortunately I still have video of the stretch of 61 from WestAshley to S'Ville's 165 when a visitor was in town and wanted to see it, BEFORE they ruined it
but yeaaa it may just be this old tree dying from old age, now we may know how long they actually live?
Posted by swaky2000 on April 11, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
2 words GLOBAL WARMING. Mr Gore is on his way to review the damage. LOL.....
Posted by Paul on April 11, 2008 at 10:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I remember Highway 61 rome the early 60's. During the heat of the summer the temp would drastically drop from the dense shade along the route. From Sam Rittenburg all the way to Summerville.
Posted by oldglory on April 11, 2008 at 11:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maryland had one of the oldest trees on the east coast, and it was struck by lightning. It was decided to make items from the wood to sell, using the funds for other grand trees. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wye_Oak (doesn't come close the estimated age of the live oak, but marylanders worshipped it!)
Perhaps we should have items made--like maybe items in the state capital--gavels, etc?
I always enjoy this columnist's articles. Learn a lot from them.
Posted by greyrider on April 11, 2008 at 11:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's a shame about the branch, but Charleston is still the most scenic city in America. I wouldn't get too upset about it.
Posted by theronce on April 11, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The old trees need to die out to make room for new trees and future grand trees. The woods and roadways were beautiful in the first couple of springs after Hugo. Smokey the Bear almost single-handedly started to wipe out the great trees of the Pacific northwest before humans intervened to use controlled burns to cause the new seeds to sprout. When you stop the lightning, then you can stop the creation of ozone. When you stop the fires started by lightning out west, you end up with an environment detrimental to the indigenous fauna and flora and create potential firestorms that threaten people's homes. I think that I would plant another tree where that limb was blocking out the sunlight.
Posted by jammanofdi on April 11, 2008 at 1:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
One good thing maybe - it "probably" means that the tree is still growing. If the wood is hearty and isn't deteriorating, then one would assume that it is the growing weight cantilevered off of the trunk that caused it to break. Hopefully, they can engineer a set of posts and cables to support the branch, but unfortunately that branch will never be able to support itself again. Ultimately, they need to do whatever necessary to ensure that the entire tree doesn't become infected or diseased because of the break and die - even if it does mean cutting the branch. I wish I'd had the chance to see it before this happened - these trees are absolutely awe-inspiring!
Posted by CADguy on April 11, 2008 at 1:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"SUMMERVILLE — A massive branch about 5 feet ..."
I think the most important fact overlook is the fact that Middleton is in Summerville, not North Charleston.
Posted by icbmman on April 11, 2008 at 1:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually, if look at their website, the plantation is in Charleston. Middleton Place is still considered West Ashley...I think many of P&C's journalists are pretty clueless with locations in the metro area.
Posted by theronce on April 11, 2008 at 3:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Heck, it's the weekend. Let's chop up the limb and roast some oysters.
Posted by ImplantedYankee on April 11, 2008 at 9:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have a crazy idea.... brace yourselves...... plant another tree! Arbor day is coming up anyway.