Caller-Times file, OVERSIZED OAK: The Big Tree at Goose Island State Park is believed to be at least 1,000 years old. Its trunk is 35 feet in circumference.

Other oaks just can't match it

The Big Tree, near Rockport, is 90 feet across and 44 feet tall

By Dan Parker, Caller-Times It's the great-great grandpa of coastal live oak trees.
   Known simply as the Big Tree, this tree at Goose Island State Park, near Rockport, is believed to be at least 1,000 years old - hundreds of years older than most live oak trees.
   It's also a tourist attraction. Thousands of folks visit Goose Island State Park every year, and most of them view the Big Tree while they're there.
   "It causes people to reflect on their life and the history the big tree's been around to see," said Stormy Reeves, manager of Goose Island State Park. "I think it's just kind of a peaceful setting."
   Considered one of the largest coastal live oaks in the nation, the Big Tree is 44 feet tall, has a trunk that's 35 feet in circumference and has a crown that's 90 feet across.
   Park authorities have taken measures to extend the tree's life. Workers in the past have installed lightning rods near the tree and have built braces beneath some of the tree's massive limbs.
   A fence was built around the tree to keep visitors' footsteps from getting too close and packing the soil so much that it would keep oxygen from getting to the roots. The tree also undergoes periodic light pruning and fertilizing.
   Experts have said the tree could live another few hundred years, barring damage by a hurricane or some other catastrophe.
   And for folks who want to spend some quality time not too far from the Big Tree, Goose Island State Park has camping facilities.
  

This article is originally from the Caller-Times publication South Texas Living
View the original publication.