Toomer's trees dying

[bigsixfive 336]

Article in the Plainsman today...

http://www.aunation.net/forums/index.php?a...w_post&f=19

Landmark Toomer’s trees dying

Section: Campus

Assistant Campus Editor

The Toomer’s corner tree, central to one of Auburn’s most unique and well-known traditions of “rolling Toomer’s,” has likely seen its last decade on campus.

Like the adjacent drugstore sharing its name, the tree is a direct link to Auburn’s past, harking back to days when, instead of chain restaurants and mega-stores, fields and farmland surrounded Auburn.

However, through years of abuse and rapidly changing surroundings, this and several other trees on campus have experienced a steady decline in health leading to irreparable damage and eventually death.

Charlie Crawford, Auburn’s landscape manager, spoke about the downhill battle the tree has been fighting with its surroundings over the years.

He said damage from being frequently rolled and the clean-up required afterward, along with a wound from being struck by a drunk driver several years ago, have all sped the tree’s decline.

However, Crawford said the main factor has been the encroachment of the tree’s root zone by development of the surrounding area. It now has a fraction of the growing room it needs than it did in Auburn’s early days.

“Since then, streets have been widened, concrete has been poured and utilities have been brought in,” Crawford said. “The root zone has been condensed to a very small area, much smaller than a big live oak would normally have.”

For this reason, the tree’s death is somewhat indicative of the effects that many of the recent changes on and off campus have had on the face of Auburn.

It is seen by some as symbolic of the struggle between the campus’s inevitable need to change and the preservation of the deep-seated traditions that are so important to the University.

Students’ opinions on the matter are greatly divided in reference to the different changes occurring on campus and off.

In regard to the increasing construction of condominiums in the areas close to campus, most students, like sophomore Katie Lehman, feel that it is doing more harm than good.

“I think it’s terrible,” she said. “Not only are the Toomer’s trees dying, (but) now they’re replacing all of downtown with condos. I feel like they’re taking so much away from Auburn right now that it’s going to lose everything. Tradition is so important. It’s pretty devastating, I think.”

Katie Rhea, a senior who has rolled Toomer’s after every football game during her time at Auburn, shared similar feelings. Her concerns lie in the destruction of standard houses in order to build multi-million dollar buildings in their place. She feels this will have a negative impact on campus, as most of these buildings are likely to be unaffordable for the majority of students.

However, these negative feelings are mainly restricted to dealing with changes currently taking place off of campus, while opinions toward on-campus development tend to be much more upbeat.

Rhea was optimistic about these changes, saying she feels they’re necessary for Auburn to grow and progress.

“I think that it’s great for Auburn to change just because it’s growing,” she said.

“If we stay how we were, we can’t allow new students, and we can’t develop new programs. Although it is a lot of construction and a lot of money is being poured into it, if it’s for things that are beneficial, things that are going to make the school better, then I think it’s great that it’s happening.

“Things have to change over time; they can’t stay the same. Campus can’t look the same as it has for the last 50 years. It’s necessary, I think,” she said.

Kirby Parks, a 1982 Auburn graduate, is currently putting his second child through school at Auburn.

He has seen the changes that have taken place over the years on campus and shares opinions from both sides of the argument. He recognized the need for change to keep up with the growing needs of the University.

Parks also noted the fine line between progress and the destruction of long-standing traditions.

“I think there is a balance between progress and where you undo the past too much,” he said.

“I’m all for progress, and in some ways those things can even rejuvenate the downtown a little bit. I’m not opposed to that in any way, I just think that there’s a line somewhere to be crossed where you really start taking away from the beauty of just going to downtown Auburn.”

He said he has witnessed the disappearance of former fixtures of the Auburn landscape such as “The Flush,” a popular ice-cream shop that stood where the AmSouth bank is today. He is aware of the possibility that other beloved AU spots could be in jeopardy if care is not taken to preserve them.

“I think that we’re not going to be able to stop some of those opportunities, you just hope they just don’t buy out and close down some of those shops and places down there that are tradition for Auburn. People still come and say, ‘Wow, this is a beautiful place,’ and you don’t want to lose that.”

As for the tree on Toomer’s corner, Crawford said that although it is dying, there is no way to determine exactly how long it has left, although he believes it will be around for several more years.

Plans are already being made to replace it with another live oak when that day does come.

[AUTigerCourt 92]

I just picked up my plainsman about 5 mins ago, and just saw that!! That's terrible. I've always wondered about what would happen if the tree died or something happened when a severe storm came through...

[Tigermike 3,425]

We walked by there on "A" Day and I noticed how bad and spindly they looked and thought the trees were in trouble.

[Streyeder 0]

I remember reading about this a year or so ago. I think it was posted here, maybe from the OA news.

[lukeduke 8]

I remember an article on that waaay back when I was in school last century. It seems like I remember the article saying it was some type of fungus that would slowly kill the tree. It is encouraging to see that they have a live oak planned to install and not a highrise condo named Toomer's Oak.

[lca408 378]

Interesting about replacing the tree. I wonder if it will be close to full size. If that were the case, how the hell would they get it in there?

And, when it is replaced, how are they going to keep the same thing from happening again 30 or 40 years down the road?

Ryan

[autiger518 1]

Some how I dont thing taking a fire hose to it every Sunday (you know because we win that much ) can be good for a tree.

[bammanmr 0]

Some how I dont thing taking a fire hose to it every Sunday (you know because we win that much ) can be good for a tree.

they didn't spray the tp off every week until recently. they just started doing that after arborists said it would much better for the tree to remove the tp asap rather than let it suffocate like it was doing.

[bigsixfive 336]

they didn't spray the tp off every week until recently. they just started doing that after arborists said it would much better for the tree to remove the tp asap rather than let it suffocate like it was doing.

Won't it suffocate anyways because the water knocks all the leaves off?

That 04 season put a hurtin on those trees. I remember looking at it and noticing the sparseness of leaves.

[Bottomfeeder 244]

They should have closed the the intersection to traffic, limited development and increased the root growth potential by expanding the ground area around the base.

[autiger518 1]

They should have close the the intersection to traffic, limited development and increased the root growth potential by expanding the ground area around the base.

Yeah, What he said!!!!!

[DCWarEagle 0]

Wow. That is absolutely terrible. Rolling Toomer's is one of Auburn's best traditions. It is very sad that the tree is dying. Even if they replace it, that will be a unique piece of Auburn history that is lost. I wonder if they will be able to replace it with one of its own offspring (I know that for several years they have sold small trees that were made from Toomer's Oak).

[abrnfanatc 6]

Wow. That is absolutely terrible. Rolling Toomer's is one of Auburn's best traditions. It is very sad that the tree is dying. Even if they replace it, that will be a unique piece of Auburn history that is lost. I wonder if they will be able to replace it with one of its own offspring (I know that for several years they have sold small trees that were made from Toomer's Oak).

That would be cool to roll "Son of Toomer's Oak."

[AU_tiger_2000 0]

I remember reading the same thing when I was at Auburn in the '90's. I hope the old girl can hold out a while yet. It is hard to kill a mature tree. My parents have an oak in their yard that has been hit twice by lightning since we moved there (in '84) and is still mostly alive (as opposed to mostly dead like Wesley).

On the other hand they lose a pecan tree every time there is a hurricane.

[BZ770 2]

I learned in Organic Gardening that Bat Guano is a magic fertilizer. Dr James brown needs to be called in to save the trees.

[AUloggerhead 2,356]

Toomer's Corner trees dying. It's an omen. Orange jerseys are on the horizon.