Last stand of the Presidents Oak: A trees life remembered

Jan. 29, 2015

A worker saws the iconic 300-year-old Presidents Oak, a tree that was located just south of the Observatory Hill Office Building (La Follette School of Public Affairs, not shown) and north of Nancy Nicholas Hall (background) Jan. 14.

Photo: Bryce Richter

After a tall and green life, Quercus macrocarpa, better known to friends as the Presidents Oak, was taken down on Jan. 14, 2015, following a lengthy illness.

The native bur oak was once a tree without a name. It was born about three centuries ago, at least 100 years before the university, into the open savannah emblematic of Wisconsins pre-settlement landscape. Likely it sprouted naturally from an acorn provided by another centuries-old bur oak nearby.

The Presidents Oak in 2006. Washburn Observatory is in the background.

Photo: Michael Forster Rothbart

It grew on a ridge with a perfect view of Lake Mendota, keeping company with nearby Native American burial mounds and witnessing visits by native people for ceremonial events.

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Last stand of the Presidents Oak: A trees life remembered