House votes to make oak the national tree

AP ^ | Tuesday, September 28, 2004

[presidio9]

The national bird, the bald eagle, will have a national tree, the oak, to alight on if legislation passed Tuesday by the House makes its way through Congress and is signed by the president.

The oak tree, said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia, is present in all 50 states and "represents the fundamental characteristics of this great nation: strength, endurance and beauty."

Goodlatte, in a statement, said the oak, in addition to being a highly prized material for furniture and flooring, has played a vital role in the nation's history.

He recalled how Andrew Jackson took shelter under Louisiana's Sunnybrook Oaks on his way to the Battle of New Orleans and how the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides," repelled British cannonballs with its oak hull.

He also cited a 2001 online survey taken by the National Arbor Day Foundation, which the oak won over 20 other national tree candidates. The oak was the favorite among some 100,000 of the 444,000 votes cast. In second place was the redwood with 80,000 votes, followed by the dogwood, maple and pine.

The United States already has a national flower, the rose. The bald eagle was officially adopted as the emblem of the United States in 1787 despite the opposition of Ben Franklin, who preferred the turkey.

[Core_Conservative]

Making the Oak Tree the National Tree is a great idea. It is strong and beautiful (most of the time - except when the leaves start falling - i just wish all the leaves would fall off when they turned brown).

[PreviouslyA-Lurker]

AlGore invented the idea of having a national tree, didn't he?

[Chewbacco]

I understand, there is a satire similar to this about school children in California...

If the ballerina dances too well she is forced to wear shackles...

If the runner runs too well he must carry weights...

Libs do all of this in the name of "fairness".

I cant remember the title but if I do, I'll mail it to you.

Cheers

[Fredgoblu]

"represents the fundamental characteristics of this great nation: strength, endurance and beauty."

Yeah...but it's got small nuts that fall off and get eaten by rodents. Where's the strength in that? I want a tree with some real cajones.

[Fredgoblu]

If you have an oak tree that you're thinking of getting rid of, I suggest you do it now!!

Hehe...this sentiment would be funny, if it weren't true.

Our business is located in a city that's got a "woodlands preservation ordinance" that says you need a vote of the city council if you want to cut down a "protected" tree bigger than 6" dbh (that's diameter at breast height if you wondered). The only trees that aren't "protected" are willows and poplars.

I told the planning administrator that their rules would force us to adopt one of two new landscaping strategies: plant 2" trees and then make sure to cut them down when they got to 5"; or, plant only willows or poplars, so that we could remove them whenever we wanted. She thought I was joking.

[NewJerseyJoe]

I vote for Quercus alba (White Oak). Strong, sturdy, provides food and cover for wildlife ... and provides a damn fine, durable and beautiful material for woodworking.

[Mamzelle]

I think the White Oak, too.

[NRA1995]

I feel much safer already knowing Congress is on the job.....

[etcetera]

The oak tree, said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia, is present in all 50 states...

I didn't know we had oak trees in Hawaii. Someone needs to point them out to me...

[najida]

Ahhhh,
Southern Live Oaks,
Ancient, strong, covered in spanish moss...

The most beautiful trees on earth.

[SGCOS]

This is gonna confuse the dems.

They already penned in Gore as their national tree.

[azhenfud]

Red oak, white oak, and blue oak - All American oaks.

[mallardx]

How about the state tree of Wyoming? The telegraph pole!

[Porterville]

THE ONLY TREE IS THE LIBERTY TREE... THESE IGNORANT UNEDUCATED BUNCH OF HACKS>.

American Liberty Elm!!!!!!!!!!!

[Porterville]

"THESE IGNORANT ">>>>>>>>>>politicians.

[meyer]

I thought AlGore was the national tree.

[RightWhale]

There are larch here. Strange tree like it's from another planet. Not good for anything but to make you wonder what it's good for.

[dead]

Former Vice President congratulates our new national tree, before rescinding
his congratulations and challenging the oak for the title in court.

[Porterville]

[NewJerseyJoe]

Actually, the American chestnut would be a greatly more suitable choice for national tree. The American chestnut practically built this country (structurally, that is). Unfortunately, most of the chestnuts were wiped out by the blight. Some researchers are working to strengthen the resistance of the remaining trees and, perhaps, reintroduce this great tree into its former range.

Read more about the American chestnut:
The American Chestnut Story
American Chestnut History