GIFT

Golden Isles Favorite Trees Quercus virginiana

The Mission is to enhance the live oak tree canopy in Glynn County through education, preservation, awareness and advocacy.

GIFT’s New Chapter

This website will continue to serve as a resource and repository for the history and stories associated with our registered Live Oaks. It also offers a new gift to the community: Golden Isles Favorite Trees.

Explore more than 300 live oaks registered in the GIFT database by using the Tree Locator at the top of this page. Tree stories are organized by geographic location and include each tree’s name, girth, approximate age, and relevant history. Use “Copy to Google Maps” to find locations, plan a scavenger hunt, and visit the trees in person.

Explore the database from a different perspective with the Tree Map. View specific tree details, photos, and certification documents from the Live Oak Society of the Louisiana Garden Federation, then filter the results by several categories to focus your search.

If you have a large live oak on your property and would like to add it to the database, complete and submit the Tree Measure Request under the Resources tab. We will contact you to schedule a free measurement and registration appointment.

Enjoy your time exploring the Tree Locator!

It is my hope that our community will continue to support tree plantings, education and advocacy that will advance the mission Golden Isles Fund for Trees started in 2015.

Mike Negles

Featured Trees

*

Featured Trees *

The Lover’s Oak

According to local legend, Native American braves and their maidens would meet and kiss under the tree's branches

The Lover’s Oak is thought to date from the 12th century. It is located at 828 Albany Street in historic downtown Brunswick, Georgia.

Read All About The Legend
Google Map

  • Tree Name – Frank Vande Linde Live Oak

    Tree Number:302

    Location: Prince and Newcastle Streets

    Approximate Age: 108

    GIrth (feet): 9’5”

    History:Frank Vande Linde (1924-2024) served as chairman of the Brunswick Park and Tree Board for 10 years. He was quoted in the Brunswick News as saying, "we've got some of the most beautiful trees anywhere, but they are getting old." Under his leadership, the Tree Board began planting 50 live oaks each year in the city. The four live oaks in Kings Square were the first trees he had planted. He was a forester for 39 years and embodied the proverb, "A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit."

    Google Map

  • Tree Name –The Louisa Oak

    Tree Number: 305

    Location: 701 G Street Brunswick, GA

    Approximate Age: 227

    Girth (feet): 19’9.25”

    History: The Louisa Oak is named for Louisa Robert Carroll who was an Olympic swimmer in the 1932 games. This tree was dedicated upon the arrival of the Olympic Flame at this spot on July 10, 1996 and in commemoration of the 1996 Olympic games in Georgia.

    Google Map

  • Tree Name – The Nan Marie O'Hara Living Oak

    Tree Number: 165

    Location: Small Playground by the pier

    Approximate Age: 165

    Girth (feet): 12’

    History: This large Live Oak is named in memory of Nan Marie O'Hara (1946- 2019). Nan Marie is remembered by her many friends for her love of our local history and the Live Oaks of the Golden Isles. This interest led Nan Marie to GIFT (Golden Isles Fund for Trees) where, in 2016, she took on the job of recording the dimensions and registering more than 100 specimen Live Oak trees (the first three were at her home on the South end of St. Simons Island). Nan Marie named them and wrote a brief history of each tree. Nan Marie once said, "that I can almost hear the sound of hoofs on the horses in the battle of Bloody Marsh!" Nan Marie’s project became the GIFT Tree Registry which is now online for all to enjoy. Her legacy lives on today.

    Google Map