Published October 19, 2006

An Arbor Obit: Harmony School Road Oak 1906(?)-2006
Large tree cut before becoming safety hazard

By Dan Pool
Despite best efforts of county crews, the DOT and contractors to work around it, the large red oak at the intersection of Harmony School Road and Refuge Road has died and was cut down Saturday.
During a road widening project this summer, an island was constructed to offer the tree some breathing room, even as questions were raised at that time about the 90-plus-year-old oak's health.
Inspections by the County Agent and a certified arborist in August and September confirmed what passersby had already suspected: the giant-canopied tree was either dead or dying.
David Buchanan, a landscaper and certified arborist, reported in a memo to Commissioner Rob Jones, that "at least eighty-five percent of the tree is dead with no hope of recovery."
Buchanan recommended it be removed as "the tree will become a safety hazard within the next few months and pose a threat to life and property."
Buchanan estimated the tree was older than 90 years, possibly older than 100. He said due to the tree's shape, a good prediction of the age wasn't possible. "With a nice round trunk you can estimate the age, but that one grew kind of funny," he said.
Rick Jasperse, the Pickens County Extension Agent, also recommended removal. In an August 25 memo to the commissioner, he wrote, "When I looked at the tree today, I felt that the time has come for it to be removed.

In the very near future this majestic tree will become a hazard, dropping limbs and possibly even falling down altogether." Jasperse commended the road department for their work in attempting to save the tree. He noted it was lack of available land to protect the roots which led to its demise.
"Construction around any old tree is tricky, and there is always a possibility that the tree could die, even with an adequate buffer zone," Jasperse wrote. "Because the road had to be built around the tree, many of the roots that were so important for its nutrient uptake and bracing had to be removed. The tree is now dying, quickly."
Commissioner Jones said he regrets efforts at preservation were unsuccessful, but felt it was important to try and save it.
"I hate losing the tree," he said. "It was a landmark. I know of one couple that was married under it."
Jones said it had been pointed out to him by a nearby homeowner that the tree looked unhealthy even before the latest road work. He said its location close by Refuge Road may have already been limiting space the tree needed to sustain its canopy.
Jones said he had gone against advice of several people who were for immediate cutting, as he had hoped the large oak could be spared.
"There were people wanting to save it and there were people wanting to take it out," he said. "Well, they didn't want to have to cut, but they saw the inevitability of it."