Every day when I walk to class, I pass the same big red oak, just outside of Atherton Hall on the edge of the HUB lawn. This tree quickly became one of my favorites on campus because of its majestic size and striking colors. Its trunk was so wide, I would estimate it to be anywhere between 200 to 300 years old, or perhaps even older. That would date its planting back to the founding of Penn State University, back when it was called Farmer’s High School of Pennsylvania. That would likely make this red oak one of the oldest trees on campus. 

Or, I should say would have made it one of the oldest trees on campus. Last week, I noticed a yard sign next to the old tree. In blue lettering on a plain white background, it read: “This tree will be removed within the next week.” Sure enough, as I was walking to class yesterday, there was a stump wide enough to be King Arthur’s round table in the place of the once-mighty red oak. I do not know for sure why the tree was removed, but I am willing to hedge a guess. 

One of the reasons this tree first caught my eye was the presence of a large, peculiar, coral-like growth at its base. After a bit of research, I identified it as a parasitic fungus known as an oak bracket. Oak brackets feed on the heartwood of a tree, which is its most important organ. This causes something called white rot, which can make the wood of the tree lose its strength. Ultimately, an infected tree could die and fall over on its own. Penn State probably culled the tree in order to prevent this from happening by chance, so that the tree did not damage any students or buildings when it inevitably fell. 

Penn State has just lost one of its oldest trees. It watched PSU grow from a tiny agricultural school in 1855 to the sprawling, 40,000 student-strong state University that it is today. With its passing, we lose a veritable relic of University history.