Renowned expert Grissino-Mayer to participate in B3C Tree Symposium, tour set for April 29

Beaufort Three-Century Project will present "Beaufort’s Live Oak Tree Legacy and Community Forestry: Past, Present & Future—A Symposium" from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 29, in the MacLean Hall auditorium (Building 12) at the Technical College of the Lowcountry, 921 Ribaut Road, Beaufort. The symposium will be followed by optional tree tours.

“The idea for the symposium was to try and determine if some of our larger existing live oak trees had witnessed any of our region’s 300-year history,” said Michael Murphy of Preservation Tree Care and symposium co-coordinator. “Determining the age of a live oak is so very subjective, we wanted to bring some science into the equation in order to create more objective results,” he said. Murphy will present information on his year-long research of tracking and measuring the area’s largest and oldest live oak trees.

All of the presenters will bring special expertise to this topic.

“We are especially fortunate to have national dendrochronology expert Henri Grissino-Mayer on the program,” said B3C project coordinator Deborah Johnson. Dr. Grissino-Mayer and his students have appeared in documentaries shown on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, the Weather Channel, National Geographic Channel, and Court TV. He will be speaking on the science of tree rings and the value of old, historic tress in the United States. Other presenters include Kelby Fite an arboricultural researcher for Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories speaking on large tree preservation; Liz Gilland of the South Carolina Forestry Commission discussing community forestry; and Laura Lee Rose of Clemson Extension presenting on local tree planting.

After the formal presentations and discussion, optional tours will begin at 3:00 p.m. including the Beaufort Tree Walk, the Canopy Roads of Beaufort County, and a visit to some of the oldest trees discovered in Michael Murphy’s research that are located on private property.

“Beaufort’s trees are such an important part of our history and place that this was a wonderful fit for the Beaufort Three-Century Project and our mission to engage the community in learning about our past and looking to the future,” said Johnson.

“Our hopes are that the day will close, not only with a better understanding of how live oaks grow, but also with a management plan for their care through the upcoming centuries of their lives,” said Murphy.

Advanced registration is required and the $20 fee includes lunch. The registration deadline has been extended to Tuesday, April 27th at noon.

Continuing education credit is available for certified arborists, foresters, and approval is being sought for offering CEU credit through the South Carolina Planning Education Advisory Committee for board and commission members or elected officials requiring continuing education under SC Code 6-29-1340.

This project is sponsored in part by the Urban and Community Forestry Grant Assistance Program administered through the SC Forestry Commission and funded by the USDA Forest Service; and The Humanities Council SC, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information about this symposium or the Beaufort Three-Century Project call 489-1711; e-mail djohnson@islc.net.