Oak Tree To Be Removed From Downtown Alpharetta Corner

ALPHARETTA, GA — A massive Water Oak tree that has been a longtime landmark in Downtown Alpharetta will be removed next month due root rot and large hollow areas in its main trunk, the city said Wednesday.

The tree sits on the corner of Milton Avenue and Canton Street and will be removed during the first week of February, the city said in a press release. The rot and hollow areas have made the once mighty oak weak and creating a risk of it falling.

Arborists inspected the tree in August 2019 and issued a report of their findings to the City of Alpharetta, including their classification of the trees as dead, diseased or hazardous. They surveyed 33 trees in total.

Lawson Finlayson with Caldwell Tree Care said that, "overall, this tree is compromised from Ganoderma root rot. It may have entered from the roots or may have entered from the large cracks, but either way it is obstructing the vascular system, leading to significant decline of the tree making it not only diseased but hazardous as well."

“Unfortunately, it's usually too late to stem the progress of Ganoderma root rot in a tree that has begun to show the conks and brackets that visibly signal infection and that can be found on this tree,” said David Shostak, the chief arborist for the City of Alpharetta. “The fungus will have progressed too far for control by this time. Even before fruiting bodies become noticeable, the infected tree will often break or fall, demonstrating the fatal structural instability caused by the fungus.”

Because of the risk to the public and adjacent properties if the tree falls, Shostak approved a permit for the tree to be cut and removed from the site.

“The city has, for years, considered this tree an important part of Downtown Alpharetta and has fought to ensure its preservation,” Shostak said. “Sadly, time and disease have ended the fight, and we must allow the tree to be removed in order to ensure the safety of the public.”