N. Candler Street “Champion” Oak Tree Coming Down
Decatur Metro | December 1, 2009 | 3:10 pmCharlie sends in this sad announcement…
This is a quote from an email sent around our neighborhood. It concerns the huge oak tree next to the rec center playground that has had a tree house in it.
A champion tree is the largest tree of its kind in the state.
I’m sure people driving down Candler will ask questions.
“We have received some very sad news that our Champion Tree in our backyard has root rot. There is no cure and has to come down. Root rot begins at the tips of the roots and works towards the trunk of the tree. We have root rot fungus completely surrounding the base of the tree. To many people our tree looks very healthy from the street and will most likely question why we are taking this tree down. I wanted to make sure that you all know why.
R & R Tree Co. will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 1. There will be trucks, a chipper and a crane around our house. The tree company will be posting signs to ask the residents not to park in front of our house or the Burges during this 3 day process. They would prefer not to close down the street. I do apologize for the mess and noise that all of us will have to put up with during this time.”
Sorry to hear that. Both my kids and I always really liked seeing that treehouse on our visits to the Rec Center Playground.
How sad, I know this tree. I do hope there were second opinions. Oak trees can live for a long time with root rot if under management, and there are ways to determine how progressive the decay is.
Decatur has lost so much mature canopy over the last couple of years! It is time to get busy planting trees folks!
That is a great tree, I will be sorry to see it removed. I hope a young native oak is planted in its place! The drought, then the rain has been hard on the many aging trees in Decatur. If you have an important tree your are concerned about be sure to hire a consulting arborist opposed to a tree removal company. To find a consulting arborist go to http://www.georgiaarborist.camp8.org/Default.aspx?pageId=238912
That is too bad…it’ll be interesting to count the rings and see how old it was. What kind of oak tree is it?
While we have lost a lot of trees over the past few years due to weather extremes it is interesting to note our tree cover (at least in the neighborhoods) compared to the 40′s and 50′s. Lot more tree cover now in Decatur than then! Plus, with all the street tree plantings downtown/Ponce etc its only getting better!
Bummer about the tree loss though.
You’re completely right, Land. Looking at http://www.historicaerials.com, there is a LOT more tree coverage here than there was 50 years ago.
As for the owners of the champion tree, it sounds like they truly appreciate the beauty and grandeur of what they have, and that they looked at every possible avenue to keep it. We had to make the same difficult decision several years ago with two large oak trees that were completely hollow on the inside and the arborist told us they had to come down. I still miss them (and the $4500 it cost to remove them).
Eric, thanks for posting http://www.historicaerials.com, that is very interesting! It seems what was once pasture? or maybe new developments has been converted to woods in Decatur. Regarding the trees on Ponce, being street trees and planted in very small containers, I do not expect them to contribute to our canopy much with the exception of the amazing white oaks next to the post office. One of those trees was big in 1955. I am working on getting it listed as a landmark tree at http://www.gufc.org.
I think you are right, the 4 or 5′ by 8 or 9′ planters are not big enough for the willow oaks but I do disagree they wont help much. Next summer walk on Ponce across from the Salon and Starbucks…those oaks are in smaller containers and are providing a nice temp change from the heat. Plus further down ponce closer to TDS the trees are in a 5′ or so green strip…not planters.
Check out Chicago (Loganville et al) in google earth…a lot of the streets you cannot even see because of the tree canopy (and Chicago is much more dense than Decatur…one of Georgia’s Densest municipalities).
To see a picture of the urban trees I’m talking about go to the website you posted…they are on the front page.
anyway, while I agree the planters are small and we’ll probably never see a 150 year old champion tree out of them I disagree they won’t help much. I think they will help a lot more than you seem to give credit.
That’s a good point, Land. Every tree contributes in some way. More importantly, though, it’s important not to judge our street trees on Ponce and elsewhere according to how well they contribute to a forested canopy, because that’s not the primary reason they were planted.
For anyone interested in a slight divergence into planning/design wonkdom, street trees basically have four jobs: To provide order and definition to the street; to protect pedestrians from the elements (sun/heat, rain, etc.); to provide a barrier between pedestrians and moving traffic; and to beautify the environment.
Canopy is of course critical but our parks and private yards and green spaces are where both attainable size and clustering provide the best bang for the buck environmentally — not just towards heat, air quality and water issues, but towards habitat protection as well.
It’s rare that communities demonstrate such commitment to trees at both the level of the forest and the level of the street. We’re lucky.
Even small street trees can make a difference. In a recent study, there was an average of 26 degree difference between sun and shade during a 100 degree plus day in the summer. That said, do not expect the majority of trees on Ponce to equal those near the Starbucks. Those trees were planted in 1981, with no root barrier, and open containers (no curb) to allow water flow into the tree. Those planted more recently, around Ted’s for example, were planted using a root barrier which contain the roots to a 3 foot diameter around the tree and a curb around them preventing the flow of water. Canopy in general is a reflection of root capacity and water. Many of the newer trees have already failed. The benefit of root barriers is that they minimize the structural damage due to roots and trunk flare growth. There are products out there that allow to maximize root growth and minimize structural damage and the City is looking into it. We are lucky! Healthy street trees are an investment, but well worth it. Check out http://depts.washington.edu/hhwb/ for studies on the the social benefits of trees!
I can’t take credit for the discovery of that coolest of websites…someone else posted it a few weeks back on DM. Was it Land? Can’t remember.
Either way, I’ve been having a lot of fun on the site ever since I heard about it.
I posted about it a little while ago…that site is dangerous…waaaaayyyy too much time spent surfing around swiping.
While this site is not as easy to navigate it has some older aerials of Decatur/Atlanta metro (1938/40)…
also a dangerous time killer…
http://dbs.galib.uga.edu/gaph/html/georgia.html
Was this a water oak? My water oak has had various forms of fungi growing around the base for about a year, and I keep removing them, some very large. Am I in the same trouble? Its probably a Champion size also. Maybe we we better off during the drought…
I lived on Candler street 10 years ago and remember that oak tree fondly. It was like a neighbor. When I think back on my days in Atlanta ( I now live in NH), I recall that oak and those great southern magnolias in front of the library. I am sorry to hear about our loss.
Did the same people cutting down the tree alert you of the root rot? That happens so much here–no wonder so many trees are removed. The “tree expert” has the potential to be severely biased when it hits his back pocket!