Marsden: Old Peppy Could 'Peel Like a Banana' At Any Time

After over 250 years, Old Peppy's days as the largest Pepperidge tree in the nation might be numbered.

Township Engineer Richard Marsen recommended that the tree along Lincoln Avenue come down at Monday night's Township Committee meeting.

"This tree could peel like a banana at any time if not stabilized," he said. But keeping Old Peppy would cost the town money during a tight budget year and still wouldn't guarantee the tree's continued longevity.

"You'd have to put up a truss or a structure that would hold up any heavy branches because the core of the tree is shot," Marsden said. "You'd be holding the tree up."

His recommendations came after consideration of a report crafted by Bartlett Tree Experts, a nationwide tree care service. Bartlett came to Old Peppy's rescue in November, trimming some of the branches and installing four support cables to anchor an unsteady bough to the main trunk of the tree.

This time the company could not guarantee that any work they could do would keep the tree aloft. They called on Neil Hendrickson, a director with the Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories, to study the damage. Though Hendrickson said the probability of additional limb failure is high, he did not conclude that the tree should be taken down.

"The tree risk assessment is the risk tolerance of the tree's owner," Marsen read from Hendrickson's report.

Old Peppy split in two after a series of storms in late March. Town officials don't think any additional damage to the tree could harm the residence directly adjacent to the landmark, but it remains a safety hazard. If high winds or other forces knocked Old Peppy over, it would land far outside the fence surrounding it. The force of branches hitting the ground could send Old Peppy shrapnel farther than the fall radius.

"Are we willing to take that risk of salvaging that tree and not having a guarantee that it would be safe?" Marsden said. "They could fix that in a month and the next day it could…"

"Or it could be there for another 100 years," said Commissioner Dan Aschenbach.

If the tree stands, the railed fence deterring pedestrians from getting too close would have to extend beyond the point the tree could fall.

"You can trim the tree, but you have to be careful because you could take away the tree's photosynthesis life-support system," Marsden said. "And it'll look good from some sides but it won't look good from others. It's hanging up there until it rots."

If the tree comes down, some of the wood will be preserved. Residents may get a chance to claim cross-cuts of Old Peppy for coffee tables, ornaments and other souvenirs.

"I don't envy you in making this decision and it breaks everyone's heart to have this problem," said Barbara Krause of 20 Pittsfield Street. "Who knew? I'd like to see it saved but you have to be realistic too."

The Pepperidge tree, or nissa sylvanicus in Latin, is also known as the sour gum, blackgum, or black tupelo in other parts of the country. Old Peppy is believed to be the largest in the northeastern United States and is estimated at over 250 years old.

Old Peppy has grown up with Cranford and the United States. It was there when New Jersey was an English colony and watched the Delaware Indians greet the first settlers in the area. It has seen all 44 presidents and a dozen wars. Horse-drawn carriages and Ford Mustangs have moved past it. There is even an Old Peppy Facebook page.

But it wasn't until the 1960s that people started taking an interest in preserving it.

"It's been a proud tree for 250 years," said Commissioner Martha Garcia. "If we have to support it, it's just going to look pitiful."