Returning to Stadium Woods
I have spent the last three months interning here at American Forests. In the next week, I will be returning to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., to complete my senior year with a wealth of knowledge of trees, forests and the environment that I have learned in these past months. I feel like I have gained so much appreciation for trees and their benefits, so when I received an email on Monday of a press release out of Blacksburg regarding the cutting down of an 85-foot tree in the old-growth forests behind my apartment at school, it hit close to home — in multiple ways.
A satellite view of the Virginia Tech campus, showing Lane Stadium the lower left with Stadium Woods running along the right of the image. The area outlined in orange is site proposed for the new practice facility. Credit: Google Maps
In April, Loose Leaf talked about the plans that Virginia Tech’s Athletic Department has to cut down the old-growth forest, Stadium Woods, that lies adjacent to the football stadium in order to build a new indoor athletics practice facility. The release about the felled oak Monday is some of the only news on the status of this project since last spring. The release states, “Virginia Tech President Charles Steger has not made an announcement stating if the university will preserve the old-growth Stadium Woods, as the appointed review committee recommended in May 2012, or allow its destruction by building the proposed indoor athletic facility.” With no announcement made about the plans for the facility, we can only hope that the death last week of this ancient tree will bring attention to the serious matter at hand.
The tree, known as number 131, represents the history and diversity of the 11 acres of old-growth forest that will be destroyed if plans for the facility go through. Rebekah Paulson, executive director of Friends of Stadium Woods, thinks that the death of this tree reveals a sad future for the still-standing forest: “Virginia Tech officials seem intent on erecting the proposed indoor practice facility for the football team no matter the environmental cost. Ignoring all requests to delay the removal of tree number 131, one of the largest trees in Stadium Woods, is another indication of the administration’s lack of respect for the old-growth trees and the integrity of the woods.” According to university officials, the tree was removed for safety reasons, as independent, certified arborists determined that number 131 had 10-foot-long hollow area near its base, making the tree unstable. However, some members of the university’s Arboretum Committee, which requested the evaluation, had asked for a reprieve for 131 while the bigger issue of Stadium Woods is being debated.
As a Hokie football fan and tree lover, this story pulls me in all directions. But I must side with the trees this time. Hopefully, number 131 will be the only tragedy this old-growth forest will have to endure in the coming years. If you would like to know more about the issue or sign the petition, you can visit http://www.savestadiumwoods.com/.
Killing trees for the sake of football..?? That REALLY IS going from the sublime to the ridiculous, isn’t it..??!!
Thanks for this posting Caity. Have a good year at school. Maybe I’ll see you in the forest.
Great post. Tree 131 should have never been cut. Arborists rated the trees demise as “imminent” yet it survived the violent winds of this summers June storms, the heavy March snow and the many ice storms the area receives. Members of the University Arboretum Committee tried in vain to have the cutting delayed until a managment plan for the woods is developed (this of course is assuming they dont destroy it for a building). We advised putting up a fence around the tree and posting warning signs. other arborists have since weighed in staing the tree should not be cut. University facilities put up a rope fence and signs misleading the committee and community that the tree cutting was being delayed. The next day they went in and cut the tree before anyone knew what was going on. No message was sent to the arboretum committee letting them know it was going to be cut. This is just another sad chapter added to the novel “Virginia Tech’s Stadium Woods:college athletic culture versus the 99%.
Thank you Caity! May your senior year be blessed.
Thanks Caity,
The VT administration used two companies that are qualified to work on trees, but few arborists take a balanced approach to assessing risk. Both companies used the obsolete ‘Defect=Hazard=Remove’ format. The weaknesses in Tree #131 were considered, but its strengths were not.
The ISA’s Best Management Practices include factoring tree strength, shown by its adaptive growth. Other means of mitigation, such as pruning and support, are also considered. But the BMP is fairly new, so not everyone is up to date on proper practice.
Taproots are prominent in oaks, from acorn to maturity. As buttress roots grow, taproots wither and die. Decay may naturally move up the trunk and create a hollow, with little effect on tree stability. As a test, see how much silverware will balance on a paper napkin ring.
If all trees with 10′ hollows were cut, our landscape would be barren! When obsolete Tree Structure Evaluations call for removal of assets, owners may want to get a second opinion, based on current best practice.