A 100-year-old oak tree at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church was removed due to rot.
Everything comes to an end, David Carpenter said, including 100-year-old trees.
A tree removal company cut down the large oak tree in front of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on College Avenue on Friday, said Carpenter, the church’s parish administrator.
During an inspection a few weeks ago, an arborist found a fungus had infected the tree and was killing it. Already, branches and leaves near the tree’s top had died. If not dealt with, the infection would have spread to the other nearby vegetation.
“It’s sort of sad to see something so strong-looking turn out to not be as strong as you think,” Carpenter said.
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Adirondack tree experts worked from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. to cut the tree down and remove it from the yard. To remove such a large tree, they cut down each branch separately with chainsaws and used a crane to carry the pieces down. The crane lifted the workers onto the tree, which is taller than the church itself.
The oak tree was there before the church was built in the 1930s, Carpenter said.
“We have parishioners in their 90s, and it’s older than them,” he said. “It’s always been here.”
The tree once served as a meeting place for church members and was where they held picnics and put out signs, said the Rev. Carol Jablonski, the church’s rector.
“So many people walk by it that the tree will make an impression on them consciously or not,” she said. “It meant a lot to some people, more than we could understand.”
Church member Jeff Rodante sat on nearby steps to watch workers remove the tree. The tree had become a familiar site to him in College Park, he said.
“Things don’t last forever, but you know, it’s a beautiful tree,” he said. “When you look at the tree, it looks like art.”
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Now that the oak tree is gone, Carpenter said the church would like to plant another tree. They are considering planting a handful of smaller trees closer to the sidewalk to provide shade for pedestrians, he said, and are working with the city to finalize a plan.
On Saturday, church members came by to see if they could keep any of the tree’s wood or use it to create something for the church, Jablonski said.
Jablonski said she is trying to think positively about the oak tree’s absence. Now, more natural light will be allowed into the church, and there is a clear view outside she said she could not see before.
