Purdue News
Purdue News
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February 4, 2004 Purdue to remove 200-year-old tree that poses hazardWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A tree that has been on the Purdue University campus since before the campus was established in 1869 must now be removed because it is in danger of falling. A bur oak, estimated to be more than 200 years old, will be removed later this month from the northwest corner of the Black Intramural Fields, west of Purdue Village on State Street. University arborist Tim Detzner said the 70-foot-tall tree has damage to its 70-inch trunk that has been getting progressively worse over the last several years, making the tree unstable. "We have been watching this tree deteriorate for several years," Detzner said. "No one likes to see large tree like this come down, but it is no longer safe." The deterioration, which began internally, has become so severe that there is now a large visible hole in the tree's trunk, Detzner said. The damage was found during the university's annual tree assessment. Detzner said that during that assessment, each tree on campus that is more than eight inches in diameter is checked to determine its health and to identify possible safety concerns. Among other criteria, a tree must have at least one inch of hardwood along the outer edge of the trunk for each 6 inches of diameter to be considered safe. The large bur oak failed that test. A bur oak in an undisturbed area would likely live between 200 and 300 years, Detzner said. Detzner said that because Purdue is vigilant with its monitoring, inclement weather is not as likely to fell trees on campus as it does in many areas. John D. Collier, Purdue landscape architect, said the goal is to keep the number of trees on campus constant by replacing each tree that is removed, either for health reasons or construction. "We're committed to a zero net loss of trees on campus," Collier said. Collier said that whenever possible, trees are moved instead of cut down. Although the size of the bur oak and the damage it has incurred eliminate the option of moving it, other trees that are growing in future construction sites are moved if at all possible. "In recent years, we have transplanted many trees from several construction sites, including the Stadium Avenue Dining Court, Visual and Performing Arts Building, the future Millennium Engineering Building and Discovery Park," Collier said. "Besides the obvious aesthetic benefits of large trees, they provide immediate benefits that smaller trees don't, such as reducing storm water runoff, cooling buildings in summer months and removing pollutants from the air," he said. "We want to do all that we can to minimize the loss of these resources from campus." Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu Sources: John D. Collier, (765) 494-6882, jdcollier@purdue.edu Tim Detzner, (765) 494-3100, tdetzner@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related Web sites:
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