Tall Timbers Report

The text below is from a report created by two amazing members of the nearby Tall Timbers Research Station.

Northside Park Tree Coring results

Jean Huffman

January 14, 2026

Christopher Linton expressed interest in knowing ages of old trees at Northside Park, Thomasville, Georgia.

On 7/31/2025 Jean Huffman and Neil Jones (Tall Timbers Tree-Ring Lab) took increment cores of 5 trees to get a preliminary look at potential ages of the trees at Northside Park. Hollow trunks are very common in many old trees and that is the reason that we could not core any of these trees to the center to get an exact age.

Results:

• American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) NP1: partial core stopped at rot, core with 73 rings, we estimate that this tree is about 100-140 years old.

• Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) NP2: partial core, stopped at rot, core with 172 rings. Tree we estimate this tree to be 250 years old or more. (This is Arabella)

• Water hickory (Carya aquatica) NP3: 102 rings, partial core, tree may be 150 years old or more.

• Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) NP4: 90 rings, core not to center, tree estimated to be about 120 years old.

• Swamp Chestnut Oak (Quercus michauxii) NP5: small partial core of 31 rings. Tree estimated to be around 60 years old. This was not a very big tree and I took a core of it just to see what this species wood is like.

This tree from Northside Park is a very old Magnolia, unfortunately, this tree has a hollow center, making it impossible to date precisely. Most documented, credible longevity estimates for M. grandiflora fall within the two to three-hundred-year range, making it among the longer-lived broadleaf tree species of the southeastern United States. Precise aging is difficult because the species often develops hollow centers and sometimes lacks clear annual growth rings. This is the first time I have dated Magnolia and I am fairly confident of my interpretation of the rings but it could be slightly off. Since Magnolias are not fire-tolerant and this tree is very old it indicates that this site most probably did not have fire for over 200 years.