Granby Oak Struck Again

The Dewey-Granby Oak tree, a treasured centuries-old Granby landmark, has been hit twice by passing trucks in the past six months.

Town officials speculate that GPS devices have increased the use of Day Street as a shortcut, bringing more trucks near the low branches of the oak.  

"As long as I've been here it really hadn't been hit," Community Development Director Fran Armentano said last week, "all of a sudden in six months it's  hit twice."

The tree has a special place in the heart of Granby. Town signs and the plaque at the entrance of Town Hall bear its image. It stands at the side of Day Street, long a popular shortcut for local traffic between West Granby and North Granby roads.

After the branch was struck on May 11, 2010, the Granby Land Trust asked local arborist Brian Watkins of Arborworks Inc. to inspect the branch, report on the damage and recommend treatment.  After the second accident, which happened sometime in the past month, Watkins reassessed the damage to the tree.

"I'm heartened to see that calloused tissue is forming around the wound," Watkins said.  He said that after the first incident he wasn't able to inspect the wound fully, as it had already healed over.  This time, he was able to inspect both wounds and remove some of the aluminum from the tree.  

"To get all of the metal out of there we would have to dig into the wound, and that would cause too much damage," he said.

The Town of Granby Public Works Department is working on ways to alert drivers to the presence of the tree.  Reflectors have already been placed on the tree's branch and on the side of the road on the north and south sides of the tree.

"We've also ordered a couple of low clearance signs to place on either end of Day Street," said James Klace, the manager of public works.

If the Dewey-Granby Oak suffers any more hits it could lose the branch and become susceptible to infection and disease.  

"Losing that branch may be the beginning of the end," Watkins said.  The Dewey-Granby Oak is now estimated to be between 200 and 250 years old, contrary to the claim on a plaque nearby that it is 450 years old.  There is no easy way to find the exact age of the tree because a core sample could also cause damage.

Regardless of its age, the Dewey-Granby Oak is an irreplaceable natural landmark and town officials are aware of the issue and collaborating to protect it.

"It is a concern because it's a very important tree, obviously, to all of us," Armentano said.