There's a place in Oklahoma where trees have escaped axe, drought and weather for centuries

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Lifestyle

There's a place in Oklahoma where trees have escaped axe, drought and weather for centuries

Dino Lalli Guest columnist
Published 5:00 a.m. CT Jan. 17, 2022 | Updated 6:06 a.m. CT Jan. 18, 2022

Upon arriving at the Keystone Ancient Forest near Sand Springs, keep in mind the old phrase “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” But what is truly fascinating is when you take the time to look at the trees, you are literally looking at some of the oldest living inhabitants in Oklahoma.

For example, one of the oldest trees found there is well over 500 years old. Where else can you go to see something that was perhaps a seedling or a sapling that was alive the day that Washington Irving passed underneath on horseback?

Sitting along the shoreline of Keystone Lake sits this beautiful 1,360-acre preserve just west of Sand Springs known as Keystone Ancient Forest. When you look at the trees, they are not giant redwoods, but instead are sturdy post oaks and cedars, hanging on for life on the rocky hillsides. They are the remnants of the Cross Timbers, a wooded belt that straddled Oklahoma from Texas to Kansas for centuries. But a good portion of the Cross Timbers has been lost to farming or development over the years.

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[Ferrets are Cool]

1. Chit...now repugs in OK will pass laws to make this a crime.

[Cracklin Charlie]

2. Post oak are lovely trees.

I have some friends who had a lovely old post oak on their property.

It died two summers ago. It is as beautiful as a skeleton, as it was while alive. Even after it’s death, it is still a haven for birds and animals. I was there in July, and there were hundreds of hummingbirds flying around the tree, catching bugs for their babies.

Since it is plenty far enough from their house, they are going to let it stay, as is, as a home for animals, as long as they can safely do so. They are also a butterfly sanctuary, and are going to run the flower areas right up under the tree. I can’t wait to see it this summer.