MOUNT VERNON — Employees at the Knox County Courthouse arrived at work Monday morning to find that one of two trees over 100 years old had been cut down over the weekend. According to a former Division of Forestry employee, poor pruning and lawnmower damage had injured both trees to the point where they should be felled and removed.
Harold Bower, a 38-year veteran of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said improper pruning over the years had shortened the life span of the two trees by half.
“I told the commissioners that those [pruning and lawnmower] wounds are open in the heartwood of the tree. Decay has a completely open pathway into the center of the tree and that’s going to rot and eventually it becomes a shell or a weakened system and eventually the trees will fall down,” said Bower.
He added that if the trees had been properly taken care of, they may have lasted another hundred years.
According to Rochelle Shackle, spokewoman for the commissioners, it was a difficult decision to remove the trees. Shackle said that once the second tree is removed, the commissioners intend to plant two new large trees to replace them.
“We appreciate the beauty of the courthouse and the trees in front, and we hope to plant something as soon as possible that the people of Knox County can enjoy for another 150 years,” she said.
Commissioner Alan Stockberger said the commissioners visited the courthouse Monday to discuss the size and species of the two new trees to be planted. According to Shackle, they hope to have the new trees planted as soon as weather permits.