Tuesday, July 20, 2004

The next time you come to the campus, you will notice that we are in the process of having some tree work done. We are taking down 4 sweet gum trees. Three were in the front yard of our school. Two had been damaged by winds over the years and had lost their top canopies. The other tree was crowding the flagpole. We also wanted to make room for a new memorial planting of an oak tree for Hunt Hearin. Other trees were trimmed up and we had branches removed that were leaning onto the Alumni House. There was a large water oak tree that was adjacent to the Chapel that was also removed. Sadly, this large tree was just a hollow shell as it had been dying and losing its core. This tree also was brushing onto the roof of the Chapel.

We are also working on the trees of the back middle school quadrangle. We are taking down two live oak trees and trimming up the others. The washout will thus partially be addressed, as hopefully more grass will fill in quickly. We are also placing mulch under the trees that are there. This area is of significant importance for our middle school children. It is going to be important to keep this area in our plans as both the grassy area and the beautiful oak trees need to be maintained together.

In addition, the Bradford Pear tree on Webster Patio is getting a trim. A tree expert was consulted and was very impressed with its large size, however, if left to continue to grow the tree would split at the trunk due to the many limbs and their growth. There are also limbs brushing onto the roof of Webster Dining Hall.

Lastly, the row of diseased pine trees between the Chapel parking lot and Chapelwood Drive are being removed. In their place will be the planting of a half dozen trees in the fall. This is a project financed by the class of ’83 and a plaque will be placed to commemorate this gift to the school.

–Andrew Wyly, Assistant Headmaster for Campus Life and Security