Are they taking twigs off and rooting/cloning them? Any saved acorns? Make a thicket of them. Surely there are folks that have gathered acorns and planted them at home over the years.
Toomer's Oaks Poisoning: Test results warrant further excavationBy Kristen Letsinger Published: March 18, 2011 Auburn University students may be taking time off for spring break, but the staff members working to salvage the poisoned Toomer’s Oaks are not.Friday afternoon, workers could be seen once again removing soil from around the tree beds.The two live oaks that sit at the corner of College Street and Magnolia Avenue are thought to have been poisoned with an herbicide known as Spike 80DF shortly after the Iron Bowl.Auburn horticulture professor Gary Keever said the university recently received soil samples taken after the school removed the contaminated soil.“We’ve got the test results back from the bed, and it showed that the herbicide had penetrated into the soil deeper than we had removed during that initial excavation,†he said. The poisoned soil was originally removed from the beds in February.Keever said the university has contacted American Plant Services to partner with the school’s landscape services to remove the soil.Even though the soil samples show the herbicide penetrated deeper than school officials originally thought, Keever said there is some good news: Those same soil samples also show only low levels of the herbicide in the plaza surrounding the tree beds.“It certainly suggests that the herbicide was applied just to the beds and not to the plaza,†Keever said.He said the university is still waiting on water samples to come back.Harvey Updyke Jr. was arrested Feb. 17 and charged with first-degree criminal mischief in connection with the poisoning. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.According to court documents, a preliminary hearing for Updyke has been scheduled for April 20 at 9 a.m. in front of Lee County District Court Judge Russell K. Bush.
Toomer's Corner trees: Auburn creates library collection of items placed after poisoningPublished: Thursday, March 24, 2011, 6:27 PM Updated: Thursday, March 24, 2011, 7:36 PMBy Press-Register staff al.com AUBURN, Alabama -- Auburn University is creating a special collection of memorabilia collected after the Toomer's Corner oak trees were poisoned, Auburn officials announced today.University officials said that in the "spontaneous outpouring of both grief and high hopes for the health of the trees and the determination that the senseless crime would not break the Auburn spirit," a number of items were placed at the base of the approximately 130-year-old trees. Those items included articles, signs, get-well wishes from small children and emotional tributes from current and former students. The Auburn University Libraries' Special Collections and Archives Department decided to collect and preserve the items and treat them as artifacts for a special collection "as a way to preserve this trying chapter in Auburn's history," university officials said in a news release. They acknowledged that the collection involves material outside the norm of a normal special collection, which might include things such as unpublished writings by a particular author."I'm not sure anyone has ever tried to archivally preserve a roll of toilet paper with writing on it," said Greg Schmidt, special collections librarian at Auburn University Libraries. "Toilet paper is meant to break down and is a very delicate medium for the written word. We have many such rolls collected from the Toomer's Corner oaks, and ensuring they last in our archives is going to be a challenge."The public will have an opportunity to view many of the artifacts at a special exhibit that will be housed in Ralph Brown Draughon Library during A-Day activities Saturday, April 16. Details about the exhibition will be announced in early April. The Special Collections and Archives Department collects, preserves and houses rare and unique items relating to the histories of Auburn University, the state of Alabama, the Southeast, the Civil War, Native Americans and aviation.
Toomer’s Oaks UpdateMarch 22, 2011Additional Soil Removal. On February 21 and 22, soil was removed and replaced in the bedssurrounding the Toomer’s oaks in an attempt to remove as much of the herbicide as possible. Soilsamples were taken during the excavation process to help determine the depth the herbicide hadreached in the beds. The upper 20 inches of soil were removed, which is below the trees' mass of feederroots, and below which the herbicide was likely to have penetrated, according to the manufacturer.Test results from samples taken during soil removal indicated that herbicide levels were very high evenat the 20-inch depth, where it was expected to be much lower. The university then sampled undisturbedsoil from 20 to 26 inches deep in the beds, and results indicated the herbicide was present at high levelsat that depth.How deep the herbicide may have penetrated is impossible to determine; however, to prevent rootsfrom growing into this contaminated soil or the herbicide moving in the soil solution into root zones,Auburn contracted with American Plant Services (APS) to remove soil from the beds at greater depths.Work commenced on Friday, March 18, and was completed on Tuesday, March 22. Uncontaminated soiladded after soil was removed in February was removed by AU Landscape Services and APS. APS thenloosened soil from around the roots using high water pressure, and vacuumed the soil/water slurry intoa containment truck. The depth of soil removed varied with the root density. For example, the denseroot mass present within the boundaries of the old concrete curbing removed two years ago containedlittle soil in the upper foot; this soil was removed but removal of soil below the root mass was notpossible. Outside the dense root mass but within the beds, soil was removed as deep as 47 inches belowthe top of the granite curbing.Following soil removal, core soil samples were taken into undisturbed soil in each quadrant of the bedsby driving galvanized pipe about 13 inches into the ground. The pipe was removed and cut into twoequal lengths, and the samples labeled by bed, quadrant, and depth (upper or lower). Flowable liquidcharcoal (64 oz/4 gal) was sprayed over the exposed root system, and topsoil was added to within 3 or 4inches of the top of the granite curbing. The added topsoil was watered in well to promote settling andto eliminate air pockets, and the beds were mulched with about 2 inches of medium-grade pine bark.Sample Results from the Plaza. Herbicide levels in soil samples taken in the plaza outside the beds andfurther into Samford Park were much lower levels than in the beds, suggesting that it was applied onlyin the beds and has not traveled as far into the park as initially feared.Next Steps. Some new shoots are appearing on the trees which will allow the university to beginmeasuring photosynthesis, as well as testing the new foliage for the presence of Spike 80 DF.
Toomer’s Oak Update March 31, 2011Soil Sample Results: Background. On February 21 and 22, soil was removed and replaced in the beds surrounding the Toomer’s oaks in an attempt to remove as much of the herbicide as possible. Soil samples were taken during the excavation process to help determine the depth the herbicide had reached in the beds. The upper 20 inches of soil was removed, which is below the trees' mass of feeder roots, and below which the herbicide was likely to have penetrated, according to the manufacturer.Test results from samples taken during soil removal indicated that herbicide levels were very high even at the 20-inch depth, where it was expected to be much lower. The university then sampled undisturbed soil from 20 to 26 inches deep in the beds, and results indicated the herbicide was present at high levels at that depth.How deep the herbicide may have penetrated is impossible to determine; however, to prevent roots from growing into this contaminated soil or the herbicide moving in the soil solution into root zones, Auburn contracted with American Plant Services (APS) to remove soil from the beds at greater depths. Work commenced on Friday, March 18 and was completed on Tuesday, March 22. Uncontaminated soil added after soil was removed in February was removed by AU Landscape Services and APS. APS then loosened soil from around the roots using high water pressure, and vacuumed the soil/water slurry into a containment truck. The depth of soil removed varied with the root density. For example, the dense root mass present within the boundaries of the old concrete curbing removed two years ago contained little soil in the upper foot; this soil was removed but removal of soil below the root mass was not possible. Outside the dense root mass but within the beds, soil was removed as deep as 47 inches below the top of the granite curbing.Following soil removal core soil samples were taken into undisturbed soil in each quadrant of the beds by driving galvanized pipe about 13 inches into the ground. The pipe was removed and cut into two equal lengths, and the samples labeled by bed, quadrant, and depth (upper or lower), and analyzed by the AU Mass Spectrometry Lab in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.Latest Soil Test Results. Prior to the second soil excavation, tebuthiuron levels in undisturbed soil in the two beds averaged 4994 ppb and were as high as 14,079 ppb in one quadrant. In the 15 samples taken from undisturbed soil in the bottom of the two beds following the second excavation, tebuthiuron was not detected in seven samples. Tebuthiuron levels in the remaining eight samples averaged 61 ppb, a 98.8% reduction compared to levels following the first excavation. What does this mean? First, that the vast majority of herbicide still present after the first excavation was removed during the second excavation. Second, because soil was removed from much of the beds well below where active roots are located, further herbicide uptake by roots in the beds should be minimal. Does this change our outlook on the survival of the trees? These test results are good news and warrant cautious optimism. However, the over-riding unknown is, “How much herbicide was absorbed by the tree roots before we completed the removal of contaminated soil?†We can only speculate and continue to monitor shoot growth as spring progresses.
Apr. 19, 2011:Results of water samples taken from underground wells in the area of the Toomers Oak trees returned from Data Analysis Technologies in Ohio showing only minor trace elements of Spike 80DF, the pesticide that was used to poison the trees. The levels found were well below what would cause a threat to public health or the environment. Tests were conducted as a precaution even though the water in the area beneath the trees is not tied to drinking water in the Auburn area.
Apr. 14, 2011:Jerry Rigby (center), president of Tiger Rags Inc., presented a $30,000 check Thursday to the Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences for student scholarships. Accepting the check were Ryan Mitchell (left), president of the Student Government Association in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, and Russell Agnew (right), Toomer's Oaks coordinator for the school's Forestry Club. Tiger Rags created two special Auburn T-shirts following the news in February that the oaks at Toomer's Corner had been poisoned, with $8 of the proceeds from each shirt sold being donated to the scholarship fund. Additional donations will be made as more shirts are sold during the summer and upcoming football season. Tiger Rags has partnered with the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences since 2003 to raise money for student scholarships by selling seedlings from Auburn's famous Toomer's Oaks.
May 12, 2011:NOTE/EXCERPT: WASHINGTON - A descendant of the Toomer's Corner oak trees will be planted on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Friday morning, the idea of a Florida congressman who is a 1981 Auburn University alum. U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., started the process of getting permission to plant the tree well before the original oaks were poisoned, but the attack gave the idea even more merit, he said. "That just made it more important that we get it done," Ross said Friday. The architect of the U.S. Capitol, plus House and Senate leaders, had to approve the tree's addition to the Capitol grounds. Although the oaks have become famous for their sports-related celebrations, he said it's Auburn's contributions as a land grant college he wants to honor. "It symbolizes the heritage that land grant institutions provide this country," Ross said. To read the complete article, go to this http://blog.al.com/sweethome/2011/05/post_5.html.
Trees at Toomer's Corner showing signs of poisonPosted: May 17, 2011 11:38 AM CDT Updated: May 17, 2011 1:09 PM CDT Screen capture of Toomer's Corner from Livestream video12 News AnywhereGet breaking news emailsBecome a fan on FacebookFollow us on TwitterGet WSFA.com on you cell phoneBy Elizabeth White - bio | email AUBURN, AL (WTVM) - Horticulture experts at Auburn University say both trees at Toomer's corner are now showing signs of poison.Up until last week, the tree on Magnolia was looking really good. However, experts say the tree is now beginning to show signs of the herbicide.They say one branch in particular has brown, small leaves.Meanwhile, the oak on College Street has been showing signs of poison since the leaves first started emerging. However, experts say there are sections of that oak that have normal, healthy leaves.Experts say they are waiting to see how the trees will process the poison and if they will begin to drop their leaves. Copyright WTVM. All rights reserved.
We noticed the brown patches on the trees back at A-Day. I wonder if it's gotten that much worse. Also, Updyke's been hit with six federal charges. Fuck him.
A friend of mine still living in Auburn snapped this photo this morning. Unfortunately, not lookin' too good.I will be in Auburn next week, I'll try to get some better photos of the situation.
Hand Removing Toilet Paper Could Keep Toomer’s Tradition AliveWritten by Staff Sports, Village Jun 29, 2011 We might still be able to roll Toomer’s come Fall… if someone takes the removal of the toilet paper into their own hands.“We’re looking at another strategy — possibly removing the toilet paper by hand and still allowing the trees to be rolled,†Auburn Professor of Horticulture Dr. Gary Keever told WLTZ 38 in an interview yesterday.If so—and if it was somehow pitched as a community effort—then cleaning the trees could become a tradition on par with rolling them (to the even further consternation of our rivals, no doubt). Wake Forest, which has a similar rolling tradition, has sometimes relied on volunteer student groups to help pick toilet paper up in its quad—at least the stuff on the ground. (As for the stuff in the trees, the Demon Deacons just leave it up there.)That doesn’t appear to be an option at Auburn.“What we do want to avoid… is the toilet paper being lit on fire,†Keever said. “We want to avoid the high pressure water and the loss of plant parts.â€The Toomer’s Oaks Task Force announced last week that the decision of whether or not to continue rolling Toomer’s Corner would be made later this summer.
Saw the oaks in person yesterday.Made me cry.
You are here?And you didn't even call?
We stopped in AU for lunch at Niffers. I flew in to ATL to bring my daughter to spend time with her grands. Heading back to TX this weekend.
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