Across the street from Screven United Methodist Church is this great Turkey Oak (Quercus laevis), once the National Champion of its species. The American Forestry Association’s National Registry of Big Trees named it to the listing in 1991, stating its dimensions as: 106″ circumference, 80′ high, with a crown dimension of 55′. Sandee Strickland notes that a tornado in 2005 did damage to some of the crown; another Turkey Oak, in Florida, is the current champion. Turkey Oak is a staple of sandhills and scrublands in the Deep South and most field guides suggest that they are rarely taller than 30′-50′, so this tree may still be the tallest extant of the species.
The church across the street is actually First Baptist, Screven. The oak sits just to the right of the old Methodist pastorium which sits just to the right of the United Methodist Church, all on the same side of School Street. Screven School (another local icon) sits at the end of School Street.
wE HAD A TORNADO COME THROUGH SCREVEN IN 2005 AND THIS TREE WAS DAMAGED A GOOD BIT.. IT WA SAD..MY AUNT GAYNELL BOYETTE WAS HUGE IN GETTING THIS TREE NAMED THE LARGEST TURKEY OK TREE.. AND IT WAS A GOOD BIT LARGER..
I love champion trees. They have such personalities & this one’s no exception. I like the scraggly branches at the top.
A king ,royalty in South Georgia !
I see that tree everytime we go through Screven from Fla. to SC.