Goodbye Old Friend

[cromag]

Basking Ridge, NJ, is a few miles south of where I grew up and a few miles north of where I live now. I think that most folks in the area know about the town's "old oak tree."

The Basking Ridge white oak tree is estimated to be about 600 years old. After years of decline it was declared unsavable by experts last fall. Last summer's weather -- an extremely hot, dry spell, followed by drenching rains -- waterlogged the roots and dealt the final blow.

Removal started today.

There are plenty of mentions at Google and Youtube -- just search for "Basking Ridge NJ Oak Tree."

[crich70]

So the tree is older than the U.S. then. A very old tree.

[Cinisajoy]

I'm sorry.

[cromag]

Honestly, I was amazed that it survived Sandy.

Always sad to see an old tree die. At least that one went by natural death. In 1989 in Austin we had an idiot poison a southern oak tree known as Treaty Oak, which was estimated to be between 500 and 600 years old. It was the last remaining tree in what was known as the Council Oaks where Native American legend says that tribes met for war and peace councils. Texas legend has it as the place where Stephen F. Austin met local tribes to iron out a peace treaty as well, though that is probably just pure Texas BS. At any rate the tree somehow managed to survive because of the mammoth and intensive measures taken to save it. The arboricidal maniac was caught, convicted, and put in jail for a while. He claimed he was trying to cast a spell. He served 3 years in jail for felony mischief. Today the Treaty Oak is only 1/3 its original size, but karma took over as the tree has outlived its attacker who died in 2001.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Always sad to see an old tree die. At least that one went by natural death. In 1989 in Austin we had an idiot poison a southern oak tree known as Treaty Oak, which was estimated to be between 500 and 600 years old. It was the last remaining tree in what was known as the Council Oaks where Native American legend says that tribes met for war and peace councils. Texas legend has it as the place where Stephen F. Austin met local tribes to iron out a peace treaty as well, though that is probably just pure Texas BS. At any rate the tree somehow managed to survive because of the mammoth and intensive measures taken to save it. The arboricidal maniac was caught, convicted, and put in jail for a while. He claimed he was trying to cast a spell. He served 3 years in jail for felony mischief. Today the Treaty Oak is only 1/3 its original size, but karma took over as the tree has outlived its attacker who died in 2001.

I remember reading about that in the newspaper,

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Always sad to see an old tree die. At least that one went by natural death. In 1989 in Austin we had an idiot poison a southern oak tree known as Treaty Oak, which was estimated to be between 500 and 600 years old. It was the last remaining tree in what was known as the Council Oaks where Native American legend says that tribes met for war and peace councils. Texas legend has it as the place where Stephen F. Austin met local tribes to iron out a peace treaty as well, though that is probably just pure Texas BS. At any rate the tree somehow managed to survive because of the mammoth and intensive measures taken to save it. The arboricidal maniac was caught, convicted, and put in jail for a while. He claimed he was trying to cast a spell. He served 3 years in jail for felony mischief. Today the Treaty Oak is only 1/3 its original size, but karma took over as the tree has outlived its attacker who died in 2001.

We still have the Big Tree.
That makes cromag's tree look small.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

We still have the Big Tree.
That makes cromag's tree look small.

Typical Texan comment!

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by issybird

Typical Texan comment!

Well if you had googled you would have seen that our tree could have been cromag's tree great (26 times at least grandfather).
Ok so I don't know a tree's reproduction cycle or even if they are the same tree but our tree is 400 years or so older than the New Jersey tree.
Our tree is on an island.

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Well if you had googled you would have seen that our tree could have been cromag's tree great (26 times at least grandfather).
Ok so I don't know a tree's reproduction cycle or even if they are the same tree but our tree is 400 years or so older than the New Jersey tree.
Our tree is on an island.

What? You lost me with that information. The Treaty Oak is in Austin, TX, not on an island. And it is estimated to be around the same age at 600 years. Perhaps you are discussing another tree and I somehow missed that bit. Both trees likely predate any European exploration and settlement in the USA, although the Vikings apparently had briefly explored NE Canada in a limited way around 1000 CE. So both trees were sprouted (?) during a period of North American history when the native peoples were essentially still stone age hunter gatherers. Europe and Asia and Africa had long since moved into a modern era, but not North America. Not that any of that matters, but it is kind of cool to think that those trees have lived that long.

There are redwood trees along the Pacific coast that are three times older though.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jswinden

What? You lost me with that information. The Treaty Oak is in Austin, TX, not on an island. And it is estimated to be around the same age at 600 years. Perhaps you are discussing another tree and I somehow missed that bit. Both trees likely predate any European exploration and settlement in the USA, although the Vikings apparently had briefly explored NE Canada in a limited way around 1000 CE. So both trees were sprouted (?) during a period of North American history when the native peoples were essentially still stone age hunter gatherers. Europe and Asia and Africa had long since moved into a modern era, but not North America. Not that any of that matters, but it is kind of cool to think that those trees have lived that long.

There are redwood trees along the Pacific coast that are three times older though.

The Big Tree at Goose Island is over 1000 years old.
And there is a tree older than that in Brazoria County.
So we were talking about 2 different OLD trees in Texas.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

The Big Tree at Goose Island is over 1000 years old.
And there is a tree older than that in Brazoria County.
So we were talking about 2 different OLD trees in Texas.

But they're just young whippersnappers compared to trees in California.

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

The Big Tree at Goose Island is over 1000 years old.
And there is a tree older than that in Brazoria County.
So we were talking about 2 different OLD trees in Texas.

Oh okay, I thought you must have been talking about some other tree, and you were. My family was camping out at Goose Island State Park in the summer of 1969 when the Apollo 11 moon landing took place. I remember lying around the tent listening to a battery powered AM radio as it occurred. Fond memories.

[cromag]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

We still have the Big Tree.
That makes cromag's tree look small.

I'm shocked, Cinisajoy! Size really doesn't matter!

Anyway, there are certainly bigger trees and older trees in the US and the world -- although the Basking Ridge White Oak is believed to have been the oldest White Oak tree -- but it was a very big part of life in the area. No pun intended.


Anyway, my favorite story about a famous tree dying is <HERE>.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by cromag

I'm shocked, Cinisajoy! Size really doesn't matter!

Anyway, there are certainly bigger trees and older trees in the US and the world -- although the Basking Ridge White Oak is believed to have been the oldest White Oak tree -- but it was a very big part of life in the area. No pun intended.


Anyway, my favorite story about a famous tree dying is <HERE>.

I am really sorry you lost your tree. Can you imagine the stories it could have told?

Now on size: it is possible that sometimes size does matter and large isn't always great.

I think "The Big Tree" is a Live Oak. Out here, we have a ton of scrub oak.