Trees are a Tallahassee staple from the canopy roads to the gigantic live oaks residing throughout the city. These trees have grown with our town for hundreds of years, and they have survived urban development with help from individuals invested in preserving them for the impact they have on our environment as well as the beauty they provide. One such individual was Carrie Edwards Elliot, who organized the First Live Oak Trail in 1940 with help from her fellow Tallahassee Garden Club (TGC) members. The following year, the Second Live Oak Trail was organized. These trails helped Tallahassee acknowledge and appreciate the trees and their value in our community. Since 1941, many initiatives have been undertaken to beautify our town through new plantings as well as preserve the landscaping already in place. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the TGC worked to get ordinances set in place to protect the canopy roads that have become a Tallahassee classic. Noticing the protective ordinances loosening in recent years, Sudi Scott, the Tree Chair of the Tallahassee Garden Club, stepped up to lead the club in increasing awareness and thus more protection for our city’s beloved trees by organizing the Third Live Oak Trail.
Over 170 citizens nominated their favorite oak trees or joined the Third Live Oak Trail Facebook group to post photographs. While the First and Second Live Oak Trails in 1940 and 1941 were conducted as a caravan on a single day, the Third Live Oak Trail is designed as a self-guided tour. Such an excursion can easily be undertaken while social distancing.
You might start by driving slowly along our canopy roads—Centerville, Miccosukee, Old St. Augustine, Meridian, Old Bainbridge, Moccasin Gap, and Sunny Hill—and letting the beauty of the trees seep into your soul. We want you to visit the trees your neighbors have nominated as favorites too. A map prepared by the TGC shows the locations of the particularly fine specimens you nominated. The map can be found on the website www.tallahasseegardenclub.com along with additional educational resources.
We suggest concentrating on one area of the city at a time. For example, in the Northwest part of town, you will find exemplary trees like the Lichgate Oak on High Road, several beauties at Lake Ella and surrounding homes, and the gargantuan oak gracing the grounds of the Tallahassee School of Math and Science on North Monroe.
Besides the chain of parks downtown and the beautiful live oak by the Strozier Library on the Florida State University campus, you will find beautiful specimens in the Griffin Heights and Bronough neighborhoods. Don’t miss Los Robles, where live oaks guard the entrance to the neighborhood and the front of the Tallahassee Women’s Club. There are gorgeous oaks scattered all through the Los Robles neighborhood and in the park, so make a slow journey to view these beauties that were on the original live oak trail.
On the east side of town, you’ll find grand oaks in the Goodwood Plantation, the J. Alford and Miccosukee Greenways, Pedrick Pond by the Eastside Library, and Arvah Branch neighborhood.
The Live Oak Trail map will help you plan your excursion. The TGC considers it a work in progress. You may continue to nominate your favorite oaks by emailing your name, the address where the tree can be viewed from the street or trail location, and a jpg photo of the tree to TGC Tree Chair Sudi Scott at liveoaktrail@gmail.com. You can also post your live oak photos on our Facebook page, Third Live Oak Trail.
We appreciate our trees not only for their beauty but also for the shade they provide in summer, cooling our city and our homes. The nation’s urban canopies, which are home to an estimated 5.5 billion trees, provide roughly $18 billion in annual benefits to society through the removal of pollution from the air ($5.4 billion), carbon sequestration ($4.8 billion), reduced emissions ($2.7 billion), and improved energy efficiency in buildings ($5.4 billion), according to the U.S. Forest Service.
A healthy urban forest has repeatedly been shown to be a critical component to a vibrant and livable community—economically, environmentally, and socially, according to the City of Tallahassee’s Urban Forest Master Plan. Besides live oaks, our diverse local canopy includes such trees as the southern magnolia, laurel oak, Carolina laurel cherry, dogwood, crapemyrtle, and many other species.
In recent years, the garden club has become increasingly concerned by the removal of many of our heritage trees. Instead of bulldozing them, we should strive to include them in development plans whenever possible. We need to open our eyes and appreciate them as the assets that they are.
So, take the whole family on a slow drive through a neighborhood near you to celebrate these ancient trees from the safety of your car, or get outside for a walk, remembering to look up and really notice the grand old trees lining our avenues and gracing our neighbors’ yards. 
Donna Meredith
Tallahassee Garden Club
