Board decides fate of old Live oak in downtown Ocean Springs. What happened?
A Live oak tree on Washington Avenue could collapse at any time, two arborists told the Ocean Springs Board of Aldermen on Monday evening, prompting a 6-1 vote to have it cut down.
Downtown Washington Avenue is known for its iconic oak canopy. Alderwoman Shannon Pfieiffer, who grew up on Washinton, was the lone vote against removal.
“I just couldn’t,” said Pfeiffer, who thought a reasonable alternative should be explored.
“Irt hurts my heart to see a tree taken down,” said Alderman Matthew Hinton, who said he had a neighbor with the second-largest Live oak in the state that split in half and had to be cut down. Hinton was hoping the tree might be saved, but a total of three arborists recommended removal, saying the tree is a major liability.
The arborists said the tree has several cavities. All but one branch appears to be connected to a large cavity in the tree.
“As much as I would love to find someone to save it, it’s just a huge risk,” David Minkler, who served as the city’s first arborist, told the board. “There’s no telling when it’s going to come down.”
He said that he’s been worried about the tree for 18 years. ‘I’ts only gotten worse.,” he said. “There’s so little wood holding it up right now that it’s a hazard.”
Oak spared once before
The tree’s rotted core prompted the city in 2017 to consider cutting it down, but it was left standing after a review.
Arborist G.A. “Tony” Miller of Cambium Tree Care & Preservation said the city must consider the risk vs. the reward of having the tree.
“I don’t see any other alternative,” he said. “I’m not comfortable taking a few limbs off to see what happens. I am not willing to expose myself or my company to that liability.”
If the tree was in another spot, fencing it off until it died might be an option. It could live another 20 years or it could fall at any time. The tree sits in front of a business, Chandeleur Outfitters, where pedestrian and vehicle traffic is heavy.
The tree is known as the Lovelace oak because the business was previously well-known Lovelace Drugs. It is believed to be one of the original oaks planted on Washington.
Ocean Springs resident Glenn Miller showed up at the meeting with tree preservation signs. He urged the board to save the tree.
“Don’t we have insurance?” he asked.
Mayor Bobby Cox said he didn’t believe insurance could compensate for any life lost should the tree fall.
“I think the last thing anybody wants to do is cut that tree down,” Cox said.
