Our Environment: "Obituary for a Swamp White Oak Tree" by Scott Turner
Scott Turner, Environmental Columnist
Our Environment: "Obituary for a Swamp White Oak Tree" by Scott Turner
The cause of death was thought to be old age, although life in a relatively small spot in the ground for such a large tree likely contributed to its decline.
Known by this writer as “Swampy,” the tree was the largest swamp white oak this writer, a former urban forester and land manager, had ever seen.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSwampy stood behind Mount Hope Community Baptist Church just west of the busy intersection of Rochambeau Avenue and Hope Street on the East Side of Providence.
Swampy’s greatest legacy may have been the shade and other comforts the stout tree provided churchgoers, and folks coming and going to baptisms, christenings, weddings, funerals and other life events over several generations.
Some 10 years ago, Swampy first showed signs of deterioration, with its crown thinning noticeably over the church parking lot. Meanwhile, the branches that swept over the sidewalk and street appeared relatively healthy up until the day (Nov. 22) that the entire top of the tree was removed.
Swampy’s age was unknown. A mature swamp white oak may reach three feet in diameter. At the time of death, Swampy was 52 inches in diameter. A healthy swamp white oak may live more than 300 years. Mount Hope Community Baptist Church inhabits a building built-in 1929. I am comfortable suggesting that Swampy was there before that structure was built.
Swamp white oak is native to the Northeast, although it is not a common forest tree in Rhode Island. In the wild, the species most often grows in bottomlands such as along streams and beside swamps. How curious that the tree also thrives in developed environments, where it is known for its broad, rounded crown, moderate pace of growth and tolerance to both drought and compacted soil.
One unusual feature of a swamp white oak is that its leaves are green and shiny above, yet silvery below. On windy days, Swampy’s foliage shimmered.
Typically, in fall, swamp white oak foliage turns yellow or yellow and reddish-purple. Swampy’s leaves were most unusual in that they morphed into yellow and pink, colors accentuated at both sunset and sunrise, when sunlight hit the tree at a relatively low angle.
With little fanfare, Swampy performed the other functions of a tree beyond providing shade. For example, Swampy provided color and improved the look of the landscape, while harboring squirrels, birds and additional wildlife.
Moreover, Swampy absorbed carbon dioxide and pollutants such as carbon monoxide. In return, Swampy supplied oxygen. Scientists say that one large tree may supply a day’s worth of oxygen for four people. Swampy was big enough to provide oxygen for six to eight of us a day.
At present, Swampy is a bare trunk beside the sidewalk. Stumpy displays the mature bark of a swamp white oak: dark grayish-brown with twisting, thin blocky ridges.
Visiting hours remain open until the rest of Swampy is removed, Then, Swampy may exist only as a stump, or as roots. Once Swampy is completely gone, there may be no trace of its former presence or benefits.
Swampy is survived by its companion, “Piggy,” a large pignut hickory tree that continues to thrive in a tree pit across the street.
Swamp white oaks produce one-inch-long acorns, halfway covered by warty caps, which often remain attached to long, tiny stalks, called peduncles, after the fruit ripens and falls.
For whatever reason, Swampy did not make acorns. Thus, Swampy leaves no known relatives.
PHOTO: Scott Turner