Rooted in Place: Lessons from Heritage Trees
Longevity rarely comes from moving fast. More often, it’s shaped by paying attention early, making thoughtful decisions, and designing places that can perform and adapt over time.
Trees are a good reminder of that.
As TBG marks 39 years, we’ve been reflecting on what it really means to design places that last. Heritage trees – those that have grown alongside the communities around them – offer a useful parallel. Their value isn’t created all at once. It’s compounded through care, patience, protection, and the role they play in daily life over time.
Why Heritage Trees Matter
Heritage trees aren’t just older trees. Their impact goes far beyond being part of the scenery. Generations of life have come and gone beneath their leafy gaze. They connect people to a city’s past, offering continuity and a tangible reminder of history and culture. At the same time, they shape everyday experience – providing shade, comfort, and refuge for people and wildlife alike.
You may already be familiar with a few Southern heritage trees rooted in Austin like Treaty Oak or Old Baldy. Treaty Oak is believed to be the last remaining tree of a sacred grove of fourteen live oaks known as the Council Oaks. When Treaty Oak was poisoned in 1989 and its survival was uncertain, the city held a vigil. Schoolchildren left drawings, notes, candles, and ribbons at the base of the tree. Support came from many directions. Treaty Oak was not simply protected; it was cared for. It had become part of the city’s shared life.
Old Baldy, one of the oldest bald cypress trees on public land in Texas, is located at McKinney Falls State Park. Estimated at more than 500 years old, the tree is 103 feet tall. Its trunk measures 195 inches around, and its diameter is 60.5 inches. The tree has weathered major floods along Onion Creek in 1869, 2013, and again in 2015 – remaining a steady presence through each chapter. Today, Old Baldy continues to anchor the park, offering a living reminder of resilience, continuity, and the enduring relationship between land and water.
Ecologically, older trees support exponentially more life. Thick bark, cavities, leaf litter, and decaying wood create layered habitat for birds, insects, fungi, and microorganisms. In many cases, a single mature tree supports hundreds of species over its lifetime. These qualities reinforce the role of heritage trees as living infrastructure.
Heritage trees connect people to a place’s history and culture, becoming physical touchstones in daily life. They shape how places are experienced over time, offering comfort and refuge while quietly supporting both human and ecological systems.
Designing for the Long Term
Places that age well don’t do so by accident. Their success is shaped by decisions made early.
Even elements that are no longer living can continue to play an important role. When safety allows, standing dead trees or retained wood can provide valuable habitat and contribute to the ecological richness of a place.
These principles apply whether we’re designing a park, a community, or a campus. More broadly, they reflect a holistic approach to placemaking that brings together planning, urban design, branded environments, and landscape architecture – looking beyond opening day to understand how environments will function, adapt, and mature over time. They offer a path towards more harmonious and sustainable cities, where the built environment supports the health and wellbeing of its inhabitants and the planet.
Stewardship guides our work across vibrant city centers, suburban communities, and rural landscapes alike. It shapes how we care for land, resources, and the trust placed in us, with the goal of creating healthy, resilient places where comfort, connection, and long-term value can take hold.
We’re grateful to the clients, communities, and partners who have trusted us over time.
A Shared Mindset
After 39 years, we’ve learned that the most meaningful places are shaped through care, collaboration, and thoughtful decision-making. Designing for longevity – like supporting heritage trees – means creating memorable places that perform well early and continue to strengthen as they age.
It’s a mindset that continues to guide our work and the places we help bring to life.