WHEATON, Md. – The oldest white oak tree in Montgomery County will be removed next week. Montgomery Parks is taking down the historic Linden Oak tree because it is in declining health.
What:
Linden Oak tree removal
When:
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
8:30 a.m. (Date subject to change based on weather conditions.)
Where:
Rock Creek Park
Intersection of Beach Drive, Grosvenor Lane and Rockville Pike
The Linden Oak is located at the intersection of Beach Drive, Grosvenor Lane and Rockville Pike (MD Route 355). During the tree removal, all those roads will remain open, but the connector road from Rockville Pike to Beach Drive will be closed.
The Linden Oak is estimated to be more than 300 years old. In its prime, it stood 95 feet tall, and its crown spanned about 150 feet. It was the Montgomery Champion tree from 1976-2022, a title given to the largest known white oak tree in the county. In 1976, it was recognized as a Bicentennial Tree — a distinction given to trees thought to have been alive during the founding of America.
In recent years, however, age and environmental stressors have taken their toll on the tree. It has dropped several limbs and a major branch, and one side of its trunk is rotting.
“By taking down the tree now, before it rots away completely, we are able to salvage some of the wood and turn it into something beautiful to memorialize its long existence” said Montgomery Parks Senior Urban Forester Colter Burkes.
The usable wood from the tree will be taken to nearby Ken-Gar Local Park where a chainsaw artist will carve it into a sculpture.
The trunk of the Linden Oak will remain in place, along with two existing memorial plaques. One plaque commemorates the Linden Oak being named a Bicentennial Tree in 1976, for surviving the American Revolution. The other plaque recognizes the efforts of local citizens to save the tree from destruction during Metro construction in the 1970s.
About Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks manages more than 37,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 420 parks. Montgomery Parks is a department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high-quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems.
Accessibility
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities. Please contact the Program Access Office at 301-495-2581 (Voice), MD Relay 7-1-1 or 800-552-7724 or ProgramAccess@MontgomeryParks.org to request a disability modification. Visit Montgomery Parks Accessibility for more information.
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