A massive heritage oak tree, cordoned off with caution tape for months in Atherton's Holbrook-Palmer Park, fell during the weekend of June 30.
The tree, a Quercus lobata or Valley Oak located close to the entrance to the park, is on its side. The town's logo is based on this species of tree, according to Town Arborist Sally Bentz-Dalton.
Removal is set to begin on Thursday morning, July 6, according to City Manager George Rodericks.
"We were aware that it (the tree) was leaning heavily and may be in declining health," he said in an email. "We taped it off to keep its perimeter clear."
Workers will be saving a section of the trunk for possible reuse, he said.
The 52" in diameter tree was infected with Ganoderma fungi, a wood-decaying fungus, according Bentz-Dalton.
"There was a request in for this tree to be pruned to lighten the weight on the lean side," she said in an email. "The weight of the new foliage along with the lean and decay are why the tree failed at the trunk."
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Registered user
another community
on Jul 8, 2023 at 4:42 pm
Registered user
on Jul 8, 2023 at 4:42 pm
At 52 inches in diameter, the tree age calculator estimates the oak tree is 327 years old.
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