FARMINGTON – A staple of the downtown may need to come down in the near future, after an arborist expressed concern about internal damage to the white pine tree on Broadway.
The town recently had the tree limbed. During that process, Town Manager Richard Davis said, the arborist noticed a large hole midway up the trunk. Looking inside, he found less than 6 inches of wood remaining along the outer edges of the trunk.
The concern is that wind, potentially assisted by an ice or winter storm, could snap off the top of the hollowed-out tree. Given its height and location, that would represent a significant issue for the area around the Broadway/High Street intersection.
“Sadly,” Davis said, “it appears to have become a hazard.”
Davis is still waiting for the arborist’s photographs of the damage. The board took no action Tuesday evening, save expressing regret that a local landmark may need to come down. Given the tree’s size and location, a crane would be employed to bring the tree down.
The Board of Selectman last seriously considered cutting down the tree in 1996, after a large limb fell during a winter storm, damaging private property. The tree was also slated for destruction in 1990, as part of a sidewalk project, but was spared thanks to the actions of the “Pine Tree Six;” local middle school students that famously stood in a circle around the trunk.
Board members and Davis noted that as the sidewalk was eventually rerouted around the pine, removing the old tree would provide space and opportunity to plant a new one.
The board intends to wait to hear back from Davis and the arborist before discussing the matter further.
If it absolutely must come down, let’s make beautiful benches and tables and …and..from its wood to keep its beautiful life alive
Sad bit of business, but it may be time. I hope that it could be taken down in such a way as to save as much of the wood. If there is enough wood in usable condition, maybe a local wood craftsman could be commissioned to use it to make small furniture pieces, etc. that could be sold as a Historical Society fundraiser.
Who knows….
OR LEAVE ENOUGH AND HAVE A WOOD CARVER COME AND MAKE A CARVING LIKE THE ONE ON RT 27
Early 1990s, (or maybe late 80s) there were serious plans to take the tree down. Local Jr. High students protested and guarded the tree & it was spared. Anyone care to dig up the dates & particulars? I know the Franklin Journal covered the story.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19890426&id=P69JAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xw4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3643,3280613&hl=en
Spring of 89
J.
I think if you read the article above, you’ll find that information.
If there is enough wood in the bottom, they could leave enough of it to make it be a place where people could sit. Maybe even leave enough on the back so that there is a back rest to the seat. Perhapsa local artist could do carvings in the back and then stain and seal the entire thing so it becomes a seat and a work of art.
The tree has a death sentence now. This discussion is all it took to automatically make it a liability for the town. Until then Mother Nature would have taken the rap. Arborists will be crawling all over every tree in town now!
Any guesstimate as to how old the tree is?
Perhaps it can be cut in such a way to leave a big fat piece of trunk to be turned into a table to memorialize it and everyone could enjoy it for many years.
Time to part with the peice of history of the White Pine Tree. That tree has been there as long as I can rememberWhich is since 1946 .
I am all for re-purposing the wood. I think Jo’s idea is a great one.
But please do Not get all cutesy with the wood carving idea. It is beneath the dignity of this grand tree to turn it into a cartoon.
Why did the town have the tree limbed? Unnecessarily raising the crown so high like that shifts the center of gravity higher, and also creates more mechanical stress from wind, by altering the natural damping effect of the tree’s branches. A hollow tree is not always a weak tree; think of it like a pipe. But when you raise the crown as high as they did, it definitely can create issues.
Why don’t y’all do something yourselves… why someone else?… Go out and hug it, pick up some of it’s cones and go plant and start babies all around town… Think about it…
OMG it’s an old tree for goodness sakes..
Cut the old guy down immediately
It’s time.
My word people..
Agree with enough already…. The tree is nothing but a hazard now just cut the darn thing down and be done with it…tree huggers drive me nuts
Thank you, Darlene, for the article. The reprieve for the tree in 1989 would not have happened except for the attention the Middle School students’ protest drew. I would like to see the tree stand for more years yet and I am impressed to see that it has survived 25 years beyond the first push to take it down.
One forester interviewed in the ’89 article said it was sound; another said it was not. I disagree with Captain Planet that this discussion is a death sentence. I’m willing to hear arguments that the tree can stand longer.
Seems to me it is now a big liability. Looks so weird with just the top. Time for it to be cut down, replaced or put into a parking space!
…and they paved paradise and put up a parking lot…
“Call someplace paradise..kiss it goodbye”.
It’s called downtown.
Time for the old fella to come down.
So for all those people that want to tree to remain whose liable if the tree tips over and crashes into a building or worse kill somebody, The tree needs to come down at least for safety anyways