It was thought at first to be a Balm-of-Gilead tree, and lent that name to the surrounding community. By the late 20th century its size had led to consideration of its removal as a potential traffic hazard. The community rallied around efforts to save it, which led to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 along with a neighboring house. The state took ownership of the land, making it New York's smallest state forest. However, the tree kept suffering structural problems, and it was finally cut down in 2015.[3]
In the mid 20th century, it began to suffer the effects of its advanced age and vandalism. In the mid-1970s arborists recommended it be removed as a traffic hazard. However, community groups led by Richard Severo, whose house overlooked the tree, were able to save it, citing its historic value.[2]
On March 27, 2009, a group of environmentally minded members of the community gathered around the tree as cherry pickers cut its branches, and gardeners from the Garden Club of Orange and Dutchess Counties and other nature organizations took buds to bring home and nurse in pots until large enough to plant in the ground. Any buds that flourish will[needs update] be distributed to historically significant sites throughout the Mid Hudson Valley. As the headline of the next edition of The Sentinel proclaimed, "Balmville Tree's Longevity Could be Passed on to Descendents".[8]
The only people to have successfully propagated a cutting from the Balmville Tree are Richard and Emoke Severo, who live next door to the tree. Of the four attempts the Severos made, after taking cuttings in 1999, the tricentennial of the Balmville Tree, only one survived which they credit to the cutting sharing the same water and soil as the original tree.[8]
On August 5, 2015 the tree was cut down and removed by the New York State Department of Environmental Protection, which cited safety concerns. For several weeks prior to the removal, the surrounding roads were closed to traffic due to the rapid deterioration of the tree, including the danger of falling limbs. Residents did not protest, but nevertheless lamented the tree's end. "There is no Balmville without the Balmville Tree," one told a local newspaper.[3]
A 15-foot-tall (4.6 m) stump remains. It is still a protected area; residents are planning to rededicate it. Many also took cuttings and will plant them in the hope of carrying on the tree genetically.[9]
Measurements
At the time of its removal it was 25 feet (7.6 m) in circumference at its base, and 83 feet (25 m) high. It once reached as high as 110 feet (33. 5 m), but its crown had to be trimmed after extensive damage from Hurricane Floyd in 1999.[10]
^ abArticle on page one of The Sentinel newspaper dated March 31, 2009, written by Meghan Fitzpatrick. The Sentinel is a semi-weekly newspaper published in New Windsor, New York.
