A rare burr oak tree in Canton was cut down this weekend to make way for the new Lake Barkley bridge, upsetting some Trigg County residents.
They had worked with Judge-Executive Hollis Alexander to save the 250 year old tree. But Alexander says the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet ultimately had to cut down the tree for the project.
Sadly, Trigg County has lost its oldest resident.... Thought to be over 250 years old she stood on the shores of the Cumberland River in the Canton community long before Trigg became a county in 1820."
“When it got right down to it, they realized that even if they didn’t take the tree down the excavating work or whatever they were going to do near the tree was going to ultimately in the end kill the tree,” Alexander said.
The judge-executive said not too many people have reached out to him about the tree since it was cut down, but Paul Fourshee of Cadiz posted a tribute to the tree online.
“Sadly, Trigg County has lost its oldest resident," he wrote. "Many in the Canton community will mourn the loss of this fine old Burr Oak tree. Thought to be over 250 years old she stood on the shores of the Cumberland River in the Canton community long before Trigg became a county in 1820."
“...This solid old citizen suffered the crime of being in the way of progress as she stood on the easement of the new four lane highway leading to the new bridge at Lake Barkley.”
KYTC Spokesman Keith Todd said the tree had open knots and some dead limbs. He added that the work required around the tree for the bridge would have killed it.
Alexander said though the community is upset to see the tree go, KYTC did all it could to save it.
“It come to a point it, it couldn’t be saved,” he said.
Todd said the tree was cut around 1 p.m. Friday.
