Leander Foundation unveils plaque for oldest identified tree in Leander; more in pipeline

Leander Foundation unveiled the first of 10 plaques in commemoration of the oldest trees in the city Nov. 15.

“It’s a sense of conservation in [our] town and pride in our history,” Leander Foundation founder Carlos St James said.

In joint partnership with the Leander Foundation, the city of Leander’s Parks & Recreation Department, Texas A&M Forest Service and Keep Leander Beautiful, the Oldest Tree in Leander project was created to find and determine the ages of some of the oldest trees throughout the city. St James said the project was conceptualized about a year ago.

The first identified tree, which is the oldest at nearly 300 years old, is located north of Lakewood Park in the Crystal Springs neighborhood at 1823 Natural Falls Run, Leander. This tree is a Texas live oak with a canopy of 80 feet.

“It’s older than the country. ... Everybody has been under the shade of this tree,” St James said. “It’s truly a beautiful specimen, and it deserves to be protected and honored—it’s a beautiful thing; it’s been through a lot.”

In addition to the first identified tree, there are eight more trees that have been discovered in Leander and one more in Cedar Park, making it 10 total so far.

Tree D, a Texas live oak, is the only one located on public property. Tree I, a bald cypress, is the tallest of the identified trees.

The trees were discovered primarily through social media posts, St James said, and the Leander Foundation encourages the community to continue to pinpoint them.

St James said the remainder of the trees are likely to have names.