Famous Monroe oak nominated for award

By David Macaulay 247-7838

3:53 p.m. EST, February 8, 2011

HAMPTON – The almost 500 year old Algernoune Oak at Fort Monroe has been nominated as a Remarkable Tree of Virginia.

The Algernoune Oak, is a live oak tree on the parade ground at Fort Monroe that's estimated to be 470 years old.

The tree was recently included in the book Remarkable Trees of Virginia by Nancy Ross Hugo, Virginia Tech Department of Forestry extension specialist and professor Jeff Kirwan and photographer Robert Llewellyn.

Readers are encouraged to vote for their favorite tree.

Virginia Tech's R. J. Stipes, professor of plant pathology and physiology, has estimated that the Algernourne Oak may have germinated in 1540, the Fort Monroe Authority stated in a press release Tuesday.

The public can vote for their favorite tree at http://cnre.vt.edu/4h/remarkabletree/search.cfm.

Just click county and enter Hampton, VA