Hoover Arbor Day celebration includes official measuring of possible world's largest oak leaf
Hundreds of people came to the city of Hoover’s 2020 Arbor Day celebration Saturday at Aldridge Gardens.
The celebration included the giveaway of more than 200 trees and an official measurement of what could possibly be the world’s largest oak leaf ever found.
Claire Larkin of the Shoal Creek community in Shelby County found the leaf while taking a walk on some family property near Livingston on the day after Thanksgiving of last year.
Her daughter asked her to measure it and checked the Guinness Book of World Records, and it appeared the leaf was the largest oak leaf ever discovered. So Larkin contacted officials at Guinness, and they sent her instructions on how to properly document her find.
Today, her leaf was officially measured at 39.7 centimeters (15.6 inches) wide and 42 centimeters (16.5 inches) long from the top of the leaf to where it connects to the stem, or petiole.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest oak leaf ever previously documented was 28 centimeters (11 inches) wide and 41 centimeters (16.14 inches) long. It was found in Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Canada, in October 2010.
More than a dozen people were present Saturday when Jenny Carpenter, an ornamental horticulturist with Carpenter’s Creations, took the official measurements for Larkin’s leaf. There were several official witnesses, including Brian Keener, a biology professor at the University of West Alabama who served as an expert witness.
However, Larkin said it could be 12 weeks before she hears back from officials with the Guinness Book of World Records as to whether her measurement has been accepted and confirmed as the world record.
The city of Hoover had 250 trees to give away at Saturday’s celebration. They were from 17 species, including highbush blueberry, American hazelnut, American fringetree, downy serviceberry, trident maple, sweetbaby magnolia, Eastern hophornbeam, sourwood, Kentucky yellowwood, red mulberry, red maple, sugar maple, American beech, nuttall oak, white oak, tulip poplar and shagbark hickory.
Most were in 3-gallon containers and were between 18 inches and 6 feet tall, said Colin Conner, the city of Hoover’s forester.
By the end of the two-hour celebration, held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., all but about 30 of the trees had been taken. Conner said Aldridge Gardens would continue to give away the remaining ones.
The tree giveaway was made possible in part due to a contribution from Alabama Power Co. Other sponsors of this year’s Arbor Day celebration were Ace Tree Service, Landscape Workshop, the Green Valley Farms nursery in Montevallo, Tip Top Grill, The Whole Scoop ice cream shop, Taziki’s Mediterranean Café and Hoover Climbing and Adventure at the Finley Center.
Today’s celebration also included a ceremonial planting of a blackgum tree near Aldridge Gardens’ new education building. It should produce bright red leaves in the fall, Aldridge Executive Director Rip Weaver said.
The Hoover Beautification Board, which organized today’s celebration with Conner, also recognized the winners of the 2020 Arbor Day essay contest. Fourth-grade students at Hoover’s elementary and intermediate schools were asked to write essays about their favorite kind of tree that is native to Hoover and how planting and preserving them is helpful to the city, said Dawn Azok, a Beautification Board member who helped organize today’s celebration.
The overall winner of this year’s essay contest was Ruthie Jackson of Rocky Ridge Elementary. Honorable mention winners were Lillie Mathis of Bluff Park Elementary, Oliver Crowell of Brock’s Gap Intermediate, Asiya Malik of Deer Valley Elementary, Alexa Thuo of Green Valley Elementary, Jay Jacob of Greystone Elementary, Paige Bowman of Gwin Elementary, Brooklyn Jackson of Riverchase Elementary, Addison Lee of Shades Mountain Elementary and Siddhartha Neverekar of Trace Crossings Elementary.
People who attended today’s celebration also had a chance to learn tree planting tips, and kids who attended were able to do nature-related art and crafts.
Mayor Frank Brocato said trees are very important to Hoover and encouraged people to plant at least one. A representative from the Arbor Day Foundation and Alabama Forestry Commission presented an award to the city, commemorating Hoover’s 21st year as a Tree City for excellence in urban forestry management.