The Wye Oak,Maryland state tree,close up and personal

Do you remember where you were the stormy night of June sixth,2002?  There are many foresters and park volunteers who still do.  It was the night the 450 year old Wye oak fell in a thunderstorm.  At 31 feet circumference,96 feet height and 119 feet crown it was the national champion oak for some fifty years.  Some branches had been lost, cable supports positioned and the core treated with concrete.  It was known to be top heavy despite pruning but survived until that final storm.

The tree sheltered travelers on the road from Oxford to Philadelphia and school children from the adjoining one-room school house dating from the 1700s. The park around the tree had visitors from every state. It was inducted into The Tree Hall of Fame.

The two descendants on Wagner Road are from acorns.  They would probably have half the genetics of the original Wye oak.  Oak trees tend not to self fertilize (rejecting a form of selfie). How does the female oak flower know which suitor to accept without finishing school? Her wise choice maintains genetic diversity. There are now acorns from the progeny of the Wye maintaining a lineage.  Cloning the Wye oak has also been successful.  Buds from the original tree are grafted to other root stock,keeping 100 percent of the original genes.

The Wye got little recognition until 150-200 years of age when it was known as the Russum Oak, only later to be renamed for nearby Wye Mills.  Revisit our neighborhood tree in 2150.