On National Arbor Day––

The (Second) Mightiest Oak Gets A Makeover

By Dottie Evans

 Licensed Connecticut arborist and Newtown resident Brewster Heatley spent National Arbor Day, Friday, April 25, doing what he knows best –– pruning and preserving a specimen white oak tree.

In this case, the tree was a local landmark and possibly a state record holder.

“It might be the second largest in Connecticut,” Mr Heatley said of the 300-year-old giant oak that dominates the front yard of 2 Lone Oak Meadows, the Sandy Hook home of Chris and Janelle Graham.

After being hired by the Grahams to assess the health of the tree and remove dead wood, Mr Heatley spent nearly the entire day swinging at the end of a long anchor rope attached high up on the oak’s central leader. This rope allowed him to safely work in the tree, as well as walk out on its thick limbs to the farthest branch ends.

He and his helper, Joe DeGrand, also took samples of the soil to see whether aeration or application of a mild fertilizer beneath the tree was needed.

After measuring the circumference of the trunk, Mr Heatley found it to be 19.4 feet around. This is only slightly smaller than the current state record white oak measuring 19.6 feet. The Lone Oak tree’s crown is 95 feet across and Mr Heatley estimated its height to be 75 feet.

“I talked to Donald Snook, Westport’s tree warden who is responsible for measuring landmark trees in Fairfield County. He’s going to come out and take a look at it. Then he’ll contact the Connecticut’s Notable Trees organization to check on its status.

 “It may also have historical significance,” he added, “since it’s been out in the open like this for a very long time.”

White oak trees that have stood in open fields throughout their lives spread their branches wide and high since they do not have to compete with other forest trees for sunlight. Often they were spared the settlers’ ax and allowed to grow by subsequent dairy farmers who depended upon their shade for a pasture full of milk cows. According to the Audubon Center in Southbury, such trees are known as “wolf trees” because they are lone survivors that stand out in the landscape.

An Eye-Catching         Specimen

Mr Heatley had stopped by the Grahams’ home earlier in the spring to ask about the tree, after it first caught his attention as he was driving along Route 34.

“I noticed some die-back in the limbs, probably from construction of the development entrance road,” he said.

The Lone Oak Meadows development was completed more than a decade ago. Even though the developer left ample space around the tree, there may have been damage to its root system, Mr Heatley said. Compaction of the soil and severing of the outermost roots by heavy equipment can occur when construction takes place within the drip line, he said, referring to the area of ground directly beneath a tree’s outermost branches. The drip line usually marks the extent to which roots will have spread underground.

 “Too much fertilizer or lime on the lawn beneath this old tree would shock it,” he added, “because nitrogen causes the tree to expend reserve energy.”

He and the Grahams have agreed that his company, All About Trees, will continue to monitor the tree and watch its health.

“If there is further die-back, we’ll know it’s not doing too well,” he said.

Mr Heatley obtained his Connecticut Arborist License after studying forestry at the University of Maine. He moved to Newtown two years ago.

Chris and Janelle Graham have lived at 2 Lone Oak Meadows for eight years and they are not the first owners of the home and its historic tree. When they moved to Connecticut from Florida, they were thrilled since they “had been used to palm trees,” Ms Graham said.

“We’ve loved having this tree in our yard. The children grew up playing under it. The tire swing was already there when we bought it, so you can imagine how popular it was.”

 

The Landmark Tree        Of The ICC

Mrs Graham said the tree stood on land that was once used by the Italian Community Center (ICC) of Greater Bridgeport, a 143-acre property and recreational area that was later the site of Newtown Little League ball games.

“They had baseball fields and there was a tree fort in the branches that we’re taking down,” she added.

“Sometimes, people stop by who remember it, and every year a class of photography students from Yale come up to photograph it.”

Early in the 1960s, the ICC sponsored an eight-week summer day camp known as Camp Arrowhead on the property, and later in the decade it leased the property to the Town of Newtown for its Little League games. In addition, the buildings and grounds were used by Democratic and Republican town committees for their annual family picnics.

There was a circus in June 1962 to benefit the day camp and the facility was also used for a yearly Italian festival known as the Gran Carneval.

In 1971, the ICC sold the property to Michael Frascatore and Orlando Vazzano of Trumbull for $300,000, and Newtown retained its lease on the baseball facility until 1979, when a development company based in Darien bought the parcel and its recreation buildings for $800,000.