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Autumn 2007 | Volume 30, Number 2
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Saying Goodbye
to Three Trees
A century-old blessing
The tree pictured to the right was one of three removed. |
With so many beautiful trees circling Tiffany Loop, it may not be obvious at first. But careful observers will notice several gaps in one of the most popular places on the Seattle Pacific University campus.
In July 2007, three dying big-leaf maple trees were removed from the Loop. A certified arborist identified root disease and trunk and stem decay in the trees, estimated to be in the last 5 percent of their normal life expectancy.
In the forest, the trees would have fallen over naturally in the next few years. On a crowded college campus, allowing nature to take its course was determined to be too dangerous.
Seattle Pacific President Philip Eaton accompanied arborist John Hushagen and University staff members when the trees were inspected in early June. In a memo to the SPU community, Eaton wrote, “As I toured the Loop, I told them that we regarded this space, these trees, as something quite sacred in our community. This was our center greens, our historic grounds, and I wanted to make sure this action was absolutely necessary.”
Some of the trees were more than 100 years old, planted by the founders of Seattle Pacific in the late 19th century. Like the Loops other historic trees, they were lovingly cared for, with pruning, cabling, and injections to prevent disease done on a regular basis. “SPU makes a major commitment to their landscape, and it shows,” says Hushagen, who has been monitoring the trees on campus for more than 17 years. He’ll recommend four new trees to be planted in the Loop in winter or early spring.
Jeff Daley, SPU’s head gardener for 16
years, says watching the trees come down was emotional: “It broke my heart. But it’s a natural process, and we need to be good stewards of our resources. We’ve been blessed to have these trees as long as we have.”
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