News of the Arroyo
Title: | Old oak dies with dignity |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2004-11-26 |
Summary: | November 26, 2004 - Here's the obit for the Bird Bath Oak, of such recent fame. |
Author: | Editorial |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | OH, how the mighty have fallen. Over the weekend, the sickly, weakened Bird Fountain Oak succumbed to nature\'s sucker punch that took the form of a surprise wet and windy winter- like storm. The tree, which kept watch over the eastern edge of the Arroyo Seco and the fountain that lends it its name, toppled to the ground on Saturday. Yes, the tree is dead. But we\'re glad, as we wrote in this space on June 16, that the 250-year-old coast live oak was allowed to die with dignity. We\'re glad that a move by city arborists and officials with the threat of lawsuits guiding their judgment was halted by activists Robert Wittry and Ray Dashner. Instead, the area around the tree was cordoned off and the tree was left alone. The tree defied a prediction of doom from an out-of-town arborist, who happened to also be a lawyer, who said that when \"oaks fall, they tend to kill people or make quadriplegics out of them.\' No, this one fell alone, hitting no one, peacefully. Now, a fitting memorial to the BFO is in order. We like the idea expressed by the city of Pasadena\'s spokeswoman Ann Erdman, that is, to craft a series of benches from the tree\'s healthy trunk and arrange them in a circular pattern. We\'d love to hear any other suggestions. No, this tree was certainly not the oldest oak, nor was it the largest. It\'s cousin, The Seven Sisters Oak in Lewisburg, Mandeville, Louisiana, is the certified biggest oak tree alive. According to The Live Oak Society\'s Web site, \"it measures 11.27 meters (37 feet and 2 inches) in circumference with a crown spread of 45.72 meters (150 feet)\' and \"is estimated that it is more than 1,000 years old!\' Still, the arroyo\'s most famous quercus agrifolia provided shade for 250 years. It was born in 1754, before the country was a country, toward the end of the time when the area\'s Indian tribes, the Tongva, made use of the land and its resources for survival. The acorns from the mighty live oaks, crushed into a powder, were a good source of food. The tree points to a past that we\'ve forgotten. More importantly, the BFO is a reminder of nature\'s resiliency. The tree survived earthquakes, floods, storms (until this one), and the most debilitating enemy, man. It is also a reminder of the Earth\'s fragility. Disease and rot brought down this gentle giant. Development has muted the arroyo\'s green lines, a picture that activists today are trying to restore. Restoration of green space in our urban jungle should be a universal goal. Part of the tree\'s memorial should include the controversy, it\'s part in raising awareness: \"A tree fell in the forest and everybody heard.\' |
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