Resilient Oak rooted in MSU history

Of all the trees on campus, one is much older, gnarlier and more tenacious than all the rest, though you could be forgiven for passing it by without a second glance. In fact, this ancient white oak may well have been a sapling when early colonists set foot on America’s eastern shores. In 2017, it was dubbed the Resilient Oak.

Frank Telewski, former director of the Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum chronicled the stories of many campus trees before he retired. “Many have actually been here longer than the university was a university,” he says.

Tucked on the east side of the MSU Museum, the damaged oak may not look like much when compared to other campus landmarks, but it has been a silent witness to MSU’s evolution from small agricultural college to globe-spanning research and education leader. It grew tall in the original forest that blanketed the area when early laborers cleared space for the institution’s first buildings. Although many nearby trees were felled for wood, the Resilient Oak was spared.

In the 19th century, groundskeepers topped the Resilient Oak and other trees, cutting their crowns in hopes of encouraging fuller canopies. Instead, the practice left lasting damage, opening the door to decay that hollowed many trunks from the inside out. Then, 10 years ago, a powerful storm knocked most of the tree over, which, while devastating, allowed Telewski to count its growth rings, revealing an age of between 375 and 400 years.

Instead of harvesting what remained, Telewski decided to give the oak emeritus a chance to survive; and so it has, sprouting a fresh crop of green leaves each spring.

The story of the Resilient Oak also includes the larger woodland that defines the campus itself. Michigan State isn’t just home to trees; it is, in many ways, a thriving ecosystem. “The entire Michigan State University is actually our campus arboretum,” Telewski says. “We have over a thousand different species of trees and over 20,000 individual woody plants growing in this collection.”

Maintaining trees requires ongoing care. Infrastructure Planning and Facilities teams and campus forestry experts monitor their health, manage risks and plan for long-term sustainability. From pruning and disease management to strategic plantings, IPF’s careful work ensures that today’s canopy will continue to thrive for generations of Spartans.

This is critical because the trees aren’t just for shade; they’re a part of the curriculum. The arboretum is comprised of a carefully curated collection of specimens optimized for research and education. It serves as an outdoor classroom for students, providing data for research on forestry, ecosystem health and a myriad of other subjects. In this respect, the trees are active participants in the university’s mission, says Alan Prather, the current director of the Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum.

“The arboretum contributes by providing material for people to perform research on, to teach about — keeping the campus a living laboratory.”

Or as Christopher Long, the revered former dean of the College of Arts and Letters and the Honors College, put it in a 2017 address to new students, “Our campus landscape is more than scenery, it’s a teaching tool, a research asset and a reflection of our commitment to sustainability.” In fact, it was Long in that same address who gave the Resilient Oak its apt name.

On a wooded campus, it’s easy to gloss over individual trees, but the Resilient Oak is more than just a tree. It is a survivor of storms, of misguided care, of time itself. It anchors MSU’s past with deep roots while reaching for the future with hopeful outstretched branches.

The next time you pass the Resilient Oak, consider pausing for a moment to reflect on how our oldest Spartan — still standing and thriving — so perfectly embodies MSU’s motto: Spartans Will.