Rain Delays Cutting Down Of 600-Year-Old Basking Ridge Tree

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Due to the expected hard rain and winds during the day the work to finish cutting down the 600-year-old historic white oak tree in Basking Ridge has been put on pause for Tuesday. It will start again Wednesday. In the meantime check out this neat video of the dismantling on Monday.

Work began to cut down the tree on Monday by Keiling Tree Service, causing many residents and onlookers to come out and watch.

• See Related: Tears Flow As 600-Year-Old NJ Tree Is Being Cut Down

The Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church took a photo every second for 24 hours Monday to capture the historic moment of when the tree was taken down. The video is a compilation of images and condensed down into 25 minutes.

Check out the video below:

The tree had to be taken down since it died over the summer in 2016 despite efforts of the church to preserve it. It is considered possibly the oldest tree in the country.

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

The church also offered some answers to frequently asked questions.

• What is the cost of doing this?

The expense to the church is approximately $50,000. The town tax dollars are not involved in the removal. Many of the companies involved are assisting in providing their services at a reduced cost, which is greatly appreciated. Please consider donating to help offset the expense involved in this major project: directly to the church in person, by mail, online, or at the GoFundMe site.
https://brpc.org/donations-payments/
https://www.gofundme.com/baskingridgeoak

• How long will this take?

It is expected to take two to three days depending on weather and other issues. They will take about 17 large cuts lifted out with the crane and placed on the street. This will protect the historic graveyard. The cuts will be sawed down on the street to size for transport to a temporary storage area. The first piece that came down weighed 6,200 pounds.

• What is happening with the wood?

There several projects planned for some of the wood. Pollaro Furniture in Hillside, NJ (http://pollaro.com/portfolio/pianos/) is planning on making two pieces of furniture: one for the town and one for the church. The wood may need to be cured for as long as five years before it can be used for those projects. The distribution plans for the rest of the wood are not final at this time. Keep checking the church website and the Basking Ridge Oak Facebook page.

• Will the rings be counted?

The trunk is not solid so a ring count will be unlikely at the base though it might be possible further up the tree.

• What caused the tree to die?

At more than 600 years old, the oldest White Oak in North America and possibly the world, it essentially died of natural old age. The experts are not able to identify any specific cause. Over the recent decades the weather has changed with droughts, long wet periods, extreme heat, and other natural factors that caused stress and weakened it. As with any living thing, the older they become the harder it is for them to recover from an 'illness'. The church has always taken great care with the best knowledge available at the time in nurturing and caring for the tree. It is treasured by the community and will be greatly missed and long remembered.

• Will another tree be planted?

A 16-year old offspring of the old oak was planted behind the church on the Finely Avenue side of cemetery. It was donated by Union County College. Dr. Thomas M. Ombrello, a biology professor at UCC, headed a project to collect offspring from trees important to U.S. history. The location of the 600 plus year old oak would not be a viable place this soon to plant another tree.

• Who is doing the work?

Keiling Tree Care http://www.keilingtreecare.com/; https://www.facebook.com/Keiling-Tree-Care-511356485691401/…

Rob Gillies, senior arborist at Keiling Tree Care

Garton's Rigging (crane) www.gartonsrigging.com/

(Image by Alexis Tarrazi)

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