Death of a Live Oak

When we moved to Florida 24 years ago, one of the first things we noticed was the beautiful live oak tree.  These trees are plentiful in our neighborhood, and we had a magnificent one in our backyard.  It was very tall, and had Spanish Moss hanging from its huge branches.  The branches seemed to reach all the way to the sun.

Once we became accustomed to seeing these gorgeous trees every day, we didn't really pay too much attention to our live oak until its beautiful branches spread well over our house as well as the neighbor's yard and swimming pool.  This wouldn't have been a problem if we didn't live in a hurricane plagued part of the country, and if the huge tree wasn't showing signs of damage.  One of the most obvious signs: a palm tree growing in one of the large forks between two branches.  Yeah, probably a problem...

The trees guys said that our oak was probably about 120 years old.  I nearly cried at the thought of losing this treasure.  The choice was between letting the tree fall from hurricane damage, possibly wrecking our home and damaging the neighbor's property, or having it taken down by experts.  We chose the latter.  Below are before and after pictures.  In the "after" picture, you can see the palm tree growing out of fork between two huge oak branches.  There was a lot of water and rot throughout our old tree that enabled the growth of a palm tree within it.

It was a very tough decision, and my heart still hurts.  I guess we did the right thing, but I'll miss this evidence of nature's wonders.    

Comments

  1. BillAugust 2, 2020 at 5:05 AM

    People around here completely understand your pain. A couple of years ago, we had a ferocious windstorm and many, many trees were destroyed. Many houses were indeed badly damaged by falling trees. A lineman was struck from behind by a falling tree. They are our friends and they outlast us often but they, too, can be lost.

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    Replies
    1. VictoriaAugust 2, 2020 at 11:07 AM

      Bill, thank you for your comment. These decisions are difficult, but I am sure we did the right thing. Seeing that palm tree growing from the middle of the oak branches confirmed that our live oak was indeed compromised. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Isaias is heading our way.

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