Friday, January 08, 2010

Herbie the tree to be gone...

I met Herbie this June, and my only regret is that I didn't have my picture taken with him properly (well, I did, but it didn't come out well). Anyone who wants to visit him before he meets his demise should be sure to go this week!!! Herbie stands, gargantuan, at the corner of East Main Street and Yankee Drive.
240-Year-Old Yarmouth Elm Tree To Be Chopped Down
Tree Will Be Cut Down Jan. 18
POSTED: 8:13 am EST January 8, 2010

YARMOUTH, Maine -- A 101-year-old man who has spent the last half-century caring for New England's oldest and tallest American elm tree said he's made his peace with the tree's impending demise.

The 110-foot-tall tree is nicknamed Herbie. It has stood sentinel in Yarmouth since before the American Revolution.

It also has survived 14 bouts of Dutch elm disease -- but the latest round has proven fatal.

Former town tree warden Frank Knight calls Herbie an "old friend." He said the tree was so big and beautiful he couldn't bear to chop it down in the 1950s.

Over the years, he nursed Herbie with insecticides and fungicide injections to battle the dreaded disease. But Knight said nothing is forever.

The tree is estimated to be 240 years old. Its exact age will be known once it's cut down Jan. 18.

[Source]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope you've become more flexbile with your hours. A friend and I drove down to your store (we had confirmed by e-mail) and we were still turned away. Something to really think about. We probably won't ever go back.

Michelle Souliere said...

Hi, the Strange Maine store is a separate entity, owned by Brendan Evans. You can reach them through their website at http://www.kraag.org/strange/