Friends, I’m saddened and disgusted to report that the tree is gone. The tree that I and many others worked so hard to try to save is gone. The tree that has been a part of the community since nearly the Civil War is gone. That beautiful 150-year-old oak was destroyed in order to build a concession stand. A petition with nearly 3,000 signatures didn’t slow down the city in the slightest. The second the permits came through they cut it down before the public could take any in-person action. Exacerbating the horror of this is the fact that the wood was not saved. It could have been made into a bench in the tree’s memory, or carved into beautiful pieces of art. Instead it was apparently fed into a wood chipper. Alexandrians, remember this when it’s time to vote for the school board, the mayor, and the city council. They claim we’re an “eco city” but they all did absolutely nothing. And please, continue to pay attention to other city plans. The next thing the city intends to do is kill many more trees in the Taylor Run/Chinquapin area. We were too late to save the Witness Tree, but hopefully we can interfere soon enough for these other trees. Please keep your eyes out for future actions you can take. And again, please, remember this and VOTE- and plant a tree today. It will be a long time before its benefits reach that of the Witness Tree, but the sooner we begin, the better.

Much thanks to all of you who shared and signed this petition and tried to help. 

Erin