by Margret Mueller (photos by Joe Cole)
Anyone who has been to visit the Hart’s Mill property has surely been struck by the wondrous white oak near our pavilion. Estimated to be 80-85 years old, she has a beautiful symmetry that begs to be photographed. Recently she has acquired a bluebird box and a swing.
Our current site plan makes her the focal point of our “commons”, so it seemed prudent to have a health assessment done. We hired Jake Pressley, owner of Grateful Trees and Bees and a licensed arborist, to come to the land and have a look. Jake pointed out three nearby “sister” trees of roughly the same age, which are broken and dying. He surmised that the damage was likely due to hurricane Fran blowing through in 1996. Moving on to our big oak, he knocked on it, he cored it, he climbed to the top.
Alas.
Likely during the same storm a large upper limb broke off our big oak and water has gotten into the fissures. Rot has set in. The upper third of the core is so compromised that some of the upper heavy limbs are supported by a mere veneer of healthy wood. Jake estimates that within five years (sooner if we have a major storm) some significant portion of the tree will break. His recommendation is to take the preemptive route and have her cut down. Be assured Jake Pressley is not a chainsaw-happy tree-slayer—reportedly he was moved nearly to tears to have to make this diagnosis and recommendation.
So…now what?
It does not seem wise to build our community around a giant that could lose its crown within five years. The Land Stewardship Circle has accepted Jake’s diagnosis and agrees to be proactive, though the time-line and details have yet to be decided upon. Hart’s Mill-ers have proven to be a resilient and creative bunch and have come up with some ideas for moving forward. One plan is to have the wood evaluated at take-down to see if it has enough sale value to defray some of the removal costs. We all would like at least some of the salvaged wood to be made into memorial sculptures, benches, counter-tops, and the like. There are quite a few young white oak scions around that could be dug and replanted–the tree’s children, so to speak. The 
cutting can also be accompanied by some sort of commemoration ceremony. Other ideas are welcome!
In the meantime we are cautioned to use common sense around the tree; no camping under the canopy or close by, and steer clear if you are there during high winds or a rain storm. Admire her, take her picture, and prepare yourself in your own personal way to tell her goodbye.
