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Ancient Pittsboro holly tree cut down for safety’s sake

Posted on September 18, 2008 by Staff

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

The old holly tree in downtown Pittsboro that was said to be over 100 years old was cut down last week because of safety concerns.

The tree was located in a parking lot across from the General Store Café, in the center of Pittsboro. According to Vance Remick, owner of the café, the tree was cut down by John Justice, who owns the parking lot and the building where the café is located.

“I think he was concerned about hurricane winds,” Remick said, adding that the tree appeared unhealthy.

“The main trunk of the tree was really soft,” Remick said. He had hoped that the tree could be saved, but “it was kind of an empty hope,” he said.

The parking lot was paved about 15 years ago, which is when the tree started to appear unhealthy, he added.

Remick said that when he learned last Thursday that the tree was to be cut down the following day, he used the short time to let people know it was being removed.

No one knows the exact age of the holly tree, but some say it is well over 100 years old.

“We’re going to cut a ring sampling of it,” Remick said. Alan McGinigle, a woodworker in the area, will use the sample to determine the age of the tree.

Remick said he saved some of the wood from the tree to be used for a variety of projects, including a tree project that will use the wood to make plaques and a timeline project.

“All is not completely lost,” he said.

Local plant expert and Flora columnist Ken Moore said the removal of the tree underscores the importance of protecting our older holly trees, such as the one on Homestead Road at the site of a future fire station.

“It’s healthy, but it needs some help,” he said.

Paul Hellwig, landscaping and grounds supervisor with Carrboro Public Works, said public works has taken a number of steps to protect the tree.

“We’ve put a fence around it to keep people away from the root system,” he said, adding that they also aerated the ground around the tree and watered it during the drought.

Hellwig says they will continue to monitor the health of the tree as construction on the fire station begins.

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