Another recent thread discussed the merits of poisoning perfectly healthy trees..... There are no merits but I wanted to share my story.
In what is now Austin, Texas there is a Live Oak tree, the sole survivor of 14 majestic lives oaks once called the Council Oaks and was a sacred meeting place of the Comanche and Tonkowa tribes. The Council Oaks fell to neglect and development of Austin, leaving one final tree: The Treaty Oak. Legend has it that Stephen F Austin, who founded a Mexican Land Grant colony in what is now Texas, and who is considered the Father of Texas, signed a treaty beneath the Treaty Oak that established boundaries between the Comanches and the white settlers. That trees is over 500 years old. The American Forestry Association declared it "The Most Perfect Specimen of a North American Tree and the Treat Oak was inducted into the Tree Hall of Fame in Washington, DC.
In 1989, in a deliberate act of vandalism, the chemical "Valpar" was poured onto the roots of the Treaty Oak. The dosage was found to be enough to kill 100 trees. Ross Perot gave a blank check to fund recovery of the tree. DuPont, the maker of the poison, gave a $10,000 reward for the capture of the man who poured the poison. The man was caught and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Efforts to save the tree were, for the most part, successful. About 2/3 of the tree died, however, and a large portion of the canopy had to be pruned. Almost ten years later the tree produced it's first crop of acorns since the poisoning. The city of Austin germinated the acorns and the seedlings were distributed throughout Texas and to many other states. I was able to obtain three of these seedlings. They came to me not much taller than the length of a pencil. I transplanted them into five gallon buckets and nurtured them for almost five years before planting them in the land in front of our home about six years ago. Below are my three offspring of the Treaty Oak, a tree that still lives today and is a living part of Texas History. Cheers!
Three weeks from now this land will be a sea of Bluebonnets!
This one is my favorite. It has a great shape. The bare trunk section is about four feet up, to give you an idea of its size.
We almost lost the one below. The main shoot failed. I discovered a sprout coming up and nurtured it along. It thrives today.
This one is much taller than the others but not quite as full. Still, a very nice tree.
In what is now Austin, Texas there is a Live Oak tree, the sole survivor of 14 majestic lives oaks once called the Council Oaks and was a sacred meeting place of the Comanche and Tonkowa tribes. The Council Oaks fell to neglect and development of Austin, leaving one final tree: The Treaty Oak. Legend has it that Stephen F Austin, who founded a Mexican Land Grant colony in what is now Texas, and who is considered the Father of Texas, signed a treaty beneath the Treaty Oak that established boundaries between the Comanches and the white settlers. That trees is over 500 years old. The American Forestry Association declared it "The Most Perfect Specimen of a North American Tree and the Treat Oak was inducted into the Tree Hall of Fame in Washington, DC.
In 1989, in a deliberate act of vandalism, the chemical "Valpar" was poured onto the roots of the Treaty Oak. The dosage was found to be enough to kill 100 trees. Ross Perot gave a blank check to fund recovery of the tree. DuPont, the maker of the poison, gave a $10,000 reward for the capture of the man who poured the poison. The man was caught and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Efforts to save the tree were, for the most part, successful. About 2/3 of the tree died, however, and a large portion of the canopy had to be pruned. Almost ten years later the tree produced it's first crop of acorns since the poisoning. The city of Austin germinated the acorns and the seedlings were distributed throughout Texas and to many other states. I was able to obtain three of these seedlings. They came to me not much taller than the length of a pencil. I transplanted them into five gallon buckets and nurtured them for almost five years before planting them in the land in front of our home about six years ago. Below are my three offspring of the Treaty Oak, a tree that still lives today and is a living part of Texas History. Cheers!
Three weeks from now this land will be a sea of Bluebonnets!
This one is my favorite. It has a great shape. The bare trunk section is about four feet up, to give you an idea of its size.
We almost lost the one below. The main shoot failed. I discovered a sprout coming up and nurtured it along. It thrives today.
This one is much taller than the others but not quite as full. Still, a very nice tree.
It seems something similar (but not nearly as historic) is taking place in Auburn, Alabama with Toomer's Corner Oaks seedlings. Seems I read that 300-400 seedlings had be started from a previous season's acorns. 
