NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A tree that has been around longer than the U.S. is facing threats of removal, but many residents are advocating for the over 300-year-old tree to be saved.
National Grid has said that the red oak tree, located on Pleasant St. in North Andover, would need to be taken down because of its proximity to power lines.
Joanna Kerr, the executive director of the North Andover Historical Society, is one of the residents in North Andover who is hoping to find a different solution that will prevent the tree from being removed.
“There’s a lot of people that really think that it’s very important to preserve this little piece of history.”
Kerr said that she hopes future residents will “be able to come and stand under this tree maybe in another 100 or 200 years.”
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The oak tree has been around since 1704. “We now consider this to be a witness tree to North Andover’s involvement in the early days of the American Revolution," said Kerr.
“This tree has a really, really insightful understanding of what it was like to be with Jonathan Stevens in 1775 when he and his men marched off to Concord and Lexington.”
The tree sits on land owned by The Trustees, Massachusetts’s largest preservation and conservation nonprofit. They said they are exploring ways to keep the tree without damaging the power lines.
National Grid said that the tree could possibly cause power outages for local residents.
“A certified arborist inspected the tree and determined that, due to the conditions observed, removal of the tree was the proposed mitigation. We are actively working with the tree owner(s) and stakeholders to determine next steps,” said National Grid in a statement to WBZ NewsRadio on Thursday.
WBZ NewsRadio's Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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