After undergoing minor amputative surgery, our red oak remains standing strong.
So many of you thoughtfully inquired about the damage to the VMFA red oak that occurred recently, that I wanted to describe what we found as Davey Tree, Inc. completed the arbor care and clean up.In the photo below, you will see a darkening of the branch’s interior that had spread deeper into the heartwood. This was the beginning of a weakening of the branch, which would eventually lead to rotting. This occurs slowly over months and sometimes years. Davey Tree arborist, Mark Bennett, explained that this was damage from a previous wind storm where the branch was twisted and therefore weakened. The damage was on top of the tree branch and did not show any visible signs. All other aspects of the branch were strong and without damage or rotting. This twisting damage could have happened in the June 29, 2012 derecho that occurred across 600 miles of the eastern US.
We counted about 50 rings on that top branch, leading us to believe that the red oak is at least 70 years old, or more, and could date to about the time that the corner stone of the Pauley Center was laid in 1931.
—Tom Brinda, VMFA Horticulturist