Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Friday, January 08, 2010

RIP Herbie the Tree

240-year-old elm tree ‘Herbie’ to get the chop: 101-year-old man has cared for sick ‘friend’ for more than half a century

A true landmark in Yarmouth, Maine, is scheduled to be cut down on January 18th. The 240-year-old tree, which is 110 feet high, has been nurtured through 14 bouts of Dutch Elm disease by Frank Knight for many years. But he's 101 and unable to care for the tree any longer, and the decision was made to finally take the old tree down. Knight said that he always thought he'd be outlived by the tree, and he's sorry to see it go, but as he put it: 'Nothing is forever. I don't want anybody to grieve when I go. Just be glad I could do what I did while I was here.'

So here's to Herbie, and here's to Knight, who kept the magnificent elm alive for over five decades. The wood from the tree will be used in a variety of ways, and the town hopes to raise $200,000 for a tree fund that, among other things, will allow them to plant disease-resistant elms which someday might equal Herbie's grandeur. I wish them well.

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