Angel Oak, South Carolina

From the article by Ebden Diskin 5/2/21, updated from 10/9/14 from www.matadornetwork.com

NO ONE APPRECIATED the beauty of trees, and immortalized them in literature, more than J.R.R. Tolkien. “I am at home among the trees,” said Legolas the elf in The Fellowship of the Ring, but it might as well have been Tolkien himself speaking.

Under a black pine in the Oxford Botanic Gardens, the author sat and penned part of his famous trilogy, inspired by the unique trees and plants surrounding him. Tolkien viewed trees as living, breathing creatures with humanlike characteristics, and it’s easy to see why. From Japan’s bamboo forests to the ponderosa pines of Utah, the world’s trees are as diverse and beautiful as its people.

As we begin to think about travelling once again, here is the first in a series of 21 of the most unique trees and forests around the world that will give you a Tolkien-esque love for trees.

Photo: Mike Ver Sprill/Shutterstock

The famous angel oak is estimated to be between 300 and 400 years old. It’s growing just outside of Charleston, South Carolina, in the Angel Oak Park on Johns Island. Angel oak is considered one of the oldest living oak trees east of the Mississippi River. Forty-thousand visitors come to the park each year to see this magnificent 65-foot-tall tree.

For advice and or a quote for work to your trees, call Andrew on 01256 817369, 07771 883061 or email him at Andrew@primarytreesurgeons.co.ukBottom