Herbie, 240-Year-Old Elm Tree, About To Be Chopped

January 11th, 2010 - 8:06 pm ICT by GD  

By Madhuri Dey
elmYarmouth, Jan 11, (THAINDIAN NEWS) It has been decided that Herbie, the 240 year old elm tree in Maine, is going to be chopped down. The tree was huge, growing in the intersection of the East Main Street and the Yankee Drive. The decision of cutting down the tree has been long pending, as, ever since the 1950’s, it had been suffering from the Dutch elm disease, not unlike many of the other trees in the towns in America. The history of the tree goes back a long way, dating back to the days of the American Revolution.

Herbie, as the tree is known in the new England village of Yarmouth, is massive, standing very tall at 100 feet. It is, in fact, the oldest and tallest elm tree in the whole of the United States. The tree had earlier managed to survive fourteen bouts of the deadly disease, even as most of the other trees in the country kept perishing under the attacks. However, this time, it was not possible for the tree to battle the disease as it relapsed once more, Herbie getting too old and too weak, just like the man who had for so long nursed it carefully.

Frank Knight, a tree warden, says that he has come to terms with the fact that Herbie has to perish. Mostly, because he knows that the tree can’t stand the recent bout of the Dutch elm disease, and also because at 101, he doesn’t have the capability to save the tree once more. He has been watching over the tree for almost fifty years; not having cut down the tree initially as he found it too beautiful.

Related Stories

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted in World News |

Subscribe