August 1, 2023 at 5:38pm
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Article by Elena Ferrarin
Communications Coordinator
Northbrook Park District
Sadly, a burr oak tree had to be removed Tuesday from Village Green Park at the advice of arborists.
Northbrook Park District Superintendent of Grounds and Golf Maintenance Bill Meyer said a few of the tree’s large branches were damaged during last week’s strong storm.
Arborists from SavATree Nels Johnson Tree Experts were called to remove the damaged branches, and they determined that the top of the main leader, or tree stem, had a substantial amount of rot and was not structurally sound.
“SavATree Nels Johnson Tree Experts assessed the tree based on the size, age, and amount of rot. They were not confident in the structural integrity of the tree based upon what they saw,” Meyer said.
The tree, which appeared to be 100 to 150 years old, had previously been cabled to address structural concerns, he added.
Park District staff consulted with the appropriate Village of Northbrook staff to ensure that today’s unfortunate removal of a very large tree complied with Village ordinance.
Staff plan to harvest acorns from this majestic Burr Oak for future planting.
Older oaks have lived through many years of stress and can face serious challenges from diseases, some of which can be fatal. In the last several years, for example, there have been reports of large populations of scale insects on oaks, according to a 2022 report from The Morton Arboretum.
The last decade also have been marked by very wet springs, extremely hot and often dry summers, and two polar vortices, all of which has a deleterious effect on trees, the report stated.