It's a sad day in the neighborhood, as a once beautiful willow oak is slowly dismantled. This giant was here long before any of the existing homes on our block. When we arrived in the neighborhood, it stood alone in a vacant field where we played softball and soccer and held bonfires in the fall. When the builders came, we worried that the construction would harm the tree (it probably did) and that they sited the new house too close to the mighty oak for comfort. This was true and resulted in the oak's demise.
A few years ago, I measured the oak's circumference at 13 feet. Somewhere on my desk is a form to nominate the tree for distinguished status in the county. I printed it out, but never gave it to my neighbor.
A lightening strike a couple of years back left a long vertical scar on an upper branch, and though weakened, the tree still stood. We have had some major storms in the past couple of years with significant tree damage throughout the D.C. area. No one wants to take a chance on of having a tree of this size crash through their roof.
Still, it's hard to say goodbye to this living landmark.
 |
| Quercus phellos in happier times |
