International Oak Society 25th Anniversary

Béatrice Chassé and Charles Snyers

Published May 2018 in International Oaks No. 29: 161–180

Introduction

Individually many of us have a tendency to cringe at the idea of yet another birthday celebration reminding us, lest we forget, that the arrow of time is not bidirectional. But as a group united by a common passion, we generally enjoy, and rightly so, celebrating the accumulation of years gone by as a sign of vitality and an occasion to reflect on a shared past. The year 2017, marked by the 25th anniversary of the International Oak Society, was no exception. First with celebration in the Czech Republic in July, and then in the United States in September, IOS members gathered to commemorate our (collective) young age. Quite appropriately, the first celebration was hosted by one of our younger members, Dušan Plaček (Plaček Quercetum), and the second, by one of our…most venerable members, Guy Sternberg (Starhill Forest Arboretum).