Magnificent beauty in trouble (updated)

A sad sight greeted visitors to Invermere’s downtown this morning. A large part of our favorite Russian olive tree, that magnificent beauty in Cenotaph Park, was lying across the road where it had fallen sometime in the night. A work crew was removing strands Christmas lights from its mortally-wounded limb.

According to the District office, a professional arborist had been called in for a consultation with staff and a decision would have to be made about whether or not the tree could be saved.

The tree has been a centerpiece in Invermere for as long as most people can remember. It has graced dozens of Remembrance Day ceremonies and we have gathered round it at ‘Light-up’ every November and watched in awe as its thousands of lights signaled the beginning of the Christmas season. Hundreds and perhaps thousands of people have rested in its shade on a hot summer day and it is, in its own way, a real part of the character of this town.

We will keep readers informed about the fate of the tree as we receive news.

July 25 update

Invermere’s lovely old Russian Olive tree in downtown’s Cenotaph Park lost one of its enormous limbs last week, when it crashed to the ground sometime overnight. CVNews reported that the District of Invermere staff was going to be consulting with an arborist about the future of the tree and we promised to keep readers abreast of developments.

The arborist’s report was received by the DOI today (July 27, 2010) and the news was not encouraging. The ‘patient’ has considerable rot right down into the roots, according to Chris Prosser, Chief Administrative Officer for the District, and on a hazard rating scale of 1 to12, our beautiful friend is rated at an 8.

Mr. Prosser said that the average lifespan of a Russian Olive is about 100 years and the arborist has estimated the age of ‘our’ tree to be in the neighborhood of 70 years, meaning that it has had a pretty long life.

Since it would take substantial money to treat the tree in the hopes of saving it, a decision must now be made by District Council about its future.

Strangely, neither the District office nor the Windermere Historical Society seems to have any information about the tree. But if readers have some old photos or stories about our favorite tree, we would love to hear from you. At the moment, District staff is hoping to spot it in an aerial photo of the town, taken in the 1950s.