Submitted Photo
SUNY Fredonia President Stephen H. Kolison Jr. discusses the health of the tree in front of Fenner House with community members and campus employees Friday.
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Submitted Photo
SUNY Fredonia President Stephen H. Kolison Jr. discusses the health of the tree in front of Fenner House with community members and campus employees Friday.
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- In this submitted photo by Jill Meaux, Central Avenue is blocked after a portion of the tree fell.
The State University of New York at Fredonia is consulting with a professional arborist to determine next steps after a large section of a historic beech tree split off and fell to the ground.
Thursday evening, the large branch broke away from the tree, which sits in front of the historic Fenner House at 178 Central Ave. in the village. “We are grateful no one was injured when this unfortunate event happened,” said SUNY Fredonia President Stephen H. Kolison, Jr. “Many village residents like to walk that stretch of Central Avenue in the evening, so we are relieved no one was there, and no vehicles were being driven on that part of the street at that moment. That is the most important result.”
Kravitz Tree Service, along with village of Fredonia and SUNY Fredonia employees, worked Thursday night and Friday to remove the large branch and remove other sections to ensure short-term safety.
“As someone who has studied and has been passionate about forestry all my life, I’m saddened about what has happened to this majestic tree,” said President Kolison, who holds a Master of Science degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Economics from Iowa State University at Ames. President Kolison’s undergraduate degree from the University of Liberia is in General Forestry. “When this section of tree broke off, it exposed an inner section of the trunk of the tree, which you can now see has significant decay most likely caused by fungal infection over the years.”
An arborist visited the site Friday and will make recommendations to the university about what should happen to the rest of the tree.
In this submitted photo by Jill Meaux, Central Avenue is blocked after a portion of the tree fell.
“We will continue to shore up the tree for now to ensure safety, and wait for the arborist’s recommendation before we decide what to do next,” said Dr. Kolison, who was joined at the site Friday afternoon with Fredonia College Council members, Chautauqua County Legislator Susan Parker, and university employees and officials.
The tree is considered one of the oldest in the village of Fredonia. Local environmental advocate Jim Wilmoth wrote in his 2012 paper Big Trees of Fredonia that “this particular specimen probably started growing in the 1700s.”