Basking Ridge's 600-Year-Old Tree To Be Cut Down Monday

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — After roughly 600 years of standing tall in the center and heart of Basking Ridge, the mighty oak will finally come towering down on Monday. Keiling Tree Care of Basking Ridge will begin cutting on April 24 around 8 a.m. And the project is expected to continue into Tuesday.

The tree had to be taken down since it died over the summer in 2016 despite efforts of the church to preserve it.

• See Related: Basking Ridge's 600 Year Old Ancient Tree Has Died

Keith Keiling, owner of Keiling Tree Care, said his crews will meet around 6 a.m. on Monday to get ready and begin cutting around 7:30 or 8 a.m. Cutting will continue throughout the day until around 3 p.m.

East Oak Street will be closed between Finley Avenue and Maple Avenue on Monday at 6 a.m. for the tree removal and this section will be closed for approximately one week. More streets may be closed off by police depending on the number of spectators that show up.

"I said from the beginning it will take two days to bring the tree down," Keiling told Patch. "It is such a large tree."

Crews will begin by cutting down the large limbs and breaking each one down before moving onto the trunk of the tree. The wood will then be loaded on trucks that will be positioned on the street.

There is one last event to enjoy the tree before it is taken down. The Historical Society of Somerset Hills will host a Historic Walking Tour.

Learn about famous, and not so famous, historic tidbits as you walk the historic downtown village of Basking Ridge in Bernards Township.

Start at the historic 1809 Brick Academy schoolhouse as you learn what it was like to attend a preparatory school of its time. Stroll over to this historic district of Basking Ridge, home to small shops, churches, homes and eateries. Meet some of the local residents and characters who are part of the tour.

Narrated by local resident and The Historical Society of Somerset Hills trustee Paula Axt, come for an entertaining hour of great stories and lore from the wonderful past as it comes alive.

For more information on the walking tour click here.

(Image by Jason Hutchings)

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