Fairmont vs. Mt. Notre Dame
Miami Valley styles
'Tis the Season Festival
Get latest headlines via RSS feeds
NewsVine
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Reddit
StumbleuponOne of "Three Sisters" oak trees falls
> Photos: 'Middle Sister' tree falls
Friday, August 15, 2008
SUGARCREEK TWP., Greene County — A tree that took root before there was an Ohio or United States, before Christopher Columbus even crossed the Atlantic Ocean, has fallen.
One of Sugarcreek MetroPark's majestic Three Sisters, a trio of 550-year-old white oak trees, fell either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
The Middle Sister had been weakened by a fire that burned its inner core almost 10 years ago, according to park manager Ed Gerdeman. The tree, more than 6 feet in diameter, had been standing on the strength of an 8-inch ring of wood around the outside of the tree.
"It wasn't a windy day, it wasn't a wet day, it was just time," Gerdeman said.
Gerdeman said the park was incredibly lucky on how the tree fell. If it had fallen any other direction, it would have taken out one of the two remaining trees or closed two trails.
But it fell in the one safe direction, coming to rest right on the edge of an existing path, which will now allow people to walk right up to the tree.
"If you had to make the tree fall in that spot, you almost couldn't," Gerdeman said.
The Middle Sister will remain in place where it fell.
"It's very sad, like losing an old friend," Gerdeman said. "But it's just as majestic laying on the ground as it was standing up."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2278 or jkelley@daytondailynews.com.
