What is the oldest known tree in Savannah?

The regal, 300-year-old Candler Oak in Forsyth Park is 54-feet tall.

Close your eyes and try to picture the city of Savannah. What is the first image that comes mind? Is it the squares? The endless variety of historic architecture? The spooky cemeteries?

It’s the trees, isn’t it?

The famed, Spanish moss-covered live oak trees really make a strong impression and visually set Savannah apart from almost any city in the world. So, what is the most impressive tree in Savannah? The daddy tree? The one tree to rule them all?

Standing regally at the northwest corner of Forsyth Park is the 300-year-old Candler Oak. The massive tree is 54-feet tall, with a circumference of 17-feet and a crown spread of 110-feet.

From 1819 to 1980 the land surrounding the tree belonged to hospitals — beginning with the Savannah House and Hospital and then Candler Hospital since 1930. During the Civil War, Union prisoners of war were held in stockades under the shade of the Candler Oak until General Sherman captured the city and the hospital.

Progress and the passage of time was not kind to the Candler Oak. It suffered a lot of damage from traffic and construction. By the early 1980’s the remaining life span of the tree was expected to be merely another 20 years.

In 1982, the newly formed Savannah Tree Foundation made history by obtaining a conservation easement of 6,804 feet around the Candler Oak — the first for a single tree. In 2004, The Candler Oak was recognized by the National Register of Historic Trees.

The massive old oak has endured a lot, but remains strong and healthy, even if it is now held together with screws and cables. Its limbs stretch out so far that it requires wire suspension just to keep them aloft.

COURTESY MORE DETAILS The property the tree stands on now belongs to The Savannah College of Art and Design’s Ruskin Hall. The asphalt was removed from the ground over its roots, a fence was put up around it and 24-hour video surveillance was established.