Ortonville- The huge oak tree next to Schoolhouse Street was part of many family memories.
Bob and Karen McArthur’s three daughters all had their prom pictures taken in front of it. A granddaughter had her photo taken in front of the tree. A Halloween skeleton hung from it every year. It provided great shade and every morning since moving into their house in 1976, the McArthurs could see from their bedroom window the tree’s branches, which often held squirrels and birds.
Now, the tree is a memory itself. Last week, D & S Tree Service cut down the white oak at the request of the village of Ortonville, which had responsibility for the tree since it was in the right of way.
The tree, at 150 years-old, may have been the oldest tree in the village.
‘I was out of state when they cut it down, that was a good thing,? said Bob McArthur. ‘I didn’t want to see them cut it down. It was a huge tree and has been in my yard forever. It was a pretty spectacular tree.?
The tree, 14 feet in diameter and estimated by McArthur to be close to 100-feet tall, had been struck by lightning at least twice that McArthur knows of? once in the spring of 2004 and again last spring.
‘The last time it broke out three windows, damaged my chimney, put dents in my truck and broke out a window in my neighbor’s house and threw debris 75 yards down the road,? he said. ‘The side of the tree was ripped apart.?
McArthur, the Brandon Fire Chief, has seen structure fires before where lightning struck a tree and the house catches fire. He recalls one specific incident where lightning struck a willow tree and traveled through the roots to the foundation of a house, hit a water line and caught the house on fire. But he says his tree protected him, since the oak’s roots go straight down.
Scott Douglas, owner of D & S Tree Service, says it took them a day-and-a-half to cut down the tree, which in terms of age is one of the eldest trees the company has ever cut down.
Carol Lenchek, environmental programs coordinator for MSU Extension Oakland County, says the average lifespan for a white oak is 120-150 years old.
‘There are trees that get to be much older, but it’s not the norm,? she said. ‘Trees have lifespans just like people. Suburban environments are not necessairly good for our trees. There is a lot of history there and it’s a shame when one of those old giants fall, but it’s the way of the world.?
McArthur agrees it’s unfortunate, but the way nature works. He still has an oak tree in the backyard and is going to plant crabapple trees in the front yard where the old oak used to stand, because they are a flowering tree and grow faster.
There is one thing about the tree McArthur isn’t sorry to see go.
‘I won’t miss all the leaves falling off that monster,? he said.
The McArthurs and their children will have a tangible reminder of the tree. Bob McArthur has saved slabs of wood from the trunk and plans to make coffee tables and cutting boards from it.