Tom Low of Duany Plater-Zyberk Architects sent around this photo of a tree being removed at Queens Road and Granville Road in the heart of old Myers Park.
I saw it yesterday and mourned its passing. Because the tree was in the city’s right of way, I asked City Arborist Don McSween what had happened. Here’s what he wrote:
“The Willow Oak (approx. 125 years old) had root rot, and the crown of the tree was dying. There is no technology available to stop root rot. We had pruned the tree a year ago and more of the top had died since then. After a detailed examination, I decided it would only continue to deteriorate and needed to be removed. This was one of our largest Willow Oaks. It was a sad day for me.”
And for us all. At 125 years, the oak would have pre-dated the development of the Myers Park subdivision. But as McSween says, with root rot there’s no cure. And as someone who drives past that corner almost daily, I understand that for safety’s sake, it had to go. Rest in peace.