Torreya taxifolia near Arabia Mountain State Park, GEORGIA (east of Atlanta) Private landowner, John Hiner ABOVE: MARCH 2026 - Two views of the lone torreya planted on this property, which is about 1/2 mile from Arabia Mountain State Park. JOHN HINER wrote: It's now 9 feet tall, healthy, and putting on consistent growth with no signs of disease or stress. (I've documented the tree on iNaturalist.) I purchased it in 2017 as a one-gallon nursery plant. Since planting it has received no protection or supplemental care other than removing smilax occasionally. I'd love to add more torreya trees but have not had the opportunity to do so. The torreya is planted under a full canopy of mostly Loblolly Pine, Sweetgum, Tulip Poplar, Black Gum, and Maple. It is located about 60 yards from a spring-fed pond and creek. It is about 20 feet from an ephemeral creek that really only runs water during the winter with heavy rain. The torreya is located near a bottleneck (small creek) for a drainage basin of at least ~100 acres. Trout Lilies, Trilliums, and two species of Ferns are in the area, indicating a moist and shady woodland setting. ] Smilax briars dominate the trees nearby, and I regularly clear the smilax from the torreya tree and immediate area. The area is not flat, as it has some elevation change. But as you can see in the photos, the area is not topographically a ravine. The broader area here is dotted with major granite outcroppings among mixed pine hardwood forests and suburban development. We are about a half mile from Arabia Mountain State Park. The soils are generally thin on top of the granite bedrock. The torreya's soil does have a relatively deep loam layer from decades of woodland persistence, but the soils here can be thin and sandy below the topsoil layer, contrary to the quintessential Georgia red clay. I inspected the branch tips this morning, and my guess is that only vegetative buds are showing at the moment. See two photos below. Additional Photos: Reverse Chronological ABOVE: April 2026 - I got out this week and took some measurements and observations of my torreya this week. As of 4/22/2026 the measurements are: Height : 9ft 2in Maximum Spread : 7ft 6in Trunk Circumference just under 1st branch (~10inches up): 6in The topmost tier is growing upward apical growth and lateral branch growth at the same time. While upward apical growth is apparent, the top lateral branches are growing more vigorously so far than the apical.      The top tier has five branches. Two of the five branches have five buds at the tips, and the other three have four buds as far as I can tell. Each top branch is also putting out other leaves/branches just inside of the end bud as well. At 9ft up with prickly needles, seeing the exact number of branches is tricky.      I have noticed three branches that had herbivory in years past. The deer had grazed the light green new growth at the branch tips at about this time of year. The branches have since sprouted from the ends where the branch was eaten. Close inspection is needed to tell where the herbivory occurred now.      I don't have detailed observations for each year, but I do believe the tree has grown upwards every year. The number of branch whorls up the trunk supports this observation. Anecdotally, the tree grew more vigorously last year and this year, adding more height and overall needles and branches than in its younger years. ABOVE: January 2025 ABOVE: Sept 2021 ABOVE: June 2020 ABOVE: January 2018 and December 2018

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