In the spring of 2023 as leaves reappeared on trees around the community, the new Heritage Tree Program that had been established in Philomath finalized its first five inductees. The list will soon grow as the committee that oversees the program considers more trees to recognize (nominations are being accepted until March 19).
But the following five will always be known as the first to be recognized. Following is a rundown of the trees that made the first list.
1. Majestic elm at library
The American elm at the library is one of the community’s most visible trees and was immediately identified as a candidate for the inaugural list. The large elm was preserved during the library construction project in the early 1990s — an effort that featured significant contributions from volunteers.
Nominated by then-City Council Catherine Biscoe, she said the elm “preserves and memorializes extraordinary efforts by the community to establish the community resources of the library, the police department and City Hall.”
2. Community’s Christmas tree
The giant sequoia located in front of Philomath Museum on Main Street was planted in 2008 to become the community’s Christmas tree. Residents and visitors come out near the beginning of each holiday season for a traditional tree-lighting event organized by the chamber of commerce.
“The tree on the grounds of the Philomath Museum has the potential to be a great learning tool for our community,” the tree’s nominee, Jackie McDougall Weiner, wrote. “It will also last for a very long, long, long time. … What a legacy.”
3. Marys River Park cottonwood
A huge black cottonwood tree rises above the rest at Marys River Park and Natural Area. Located at the end of South Ninth Street, the tree is estimated to be around 160 years old. It measures 78 inches in diameter.
“Based on the estimated age, this tree was already decades old when Philomath was incorporated — one of a diminishingly few individuals to have witnessed the history of our town from pioneer settlement to the present,” local Michael Brawner wrote in his nomination.
4. Philomath’s old oak tree
An Oregon white oak, this tree is located on private property at 24930 Grange Hall Road. Nominated by Giana Bernardini, who is on the Heritage Tree Committee, the tree dates back centuries.
“On the old homestead of Rev. (Alexander) Bennett, one of the founders of Philomath College, stands an Oregon white oak that had been standing there centuries before his arrival,” Bernardini wrote in her nomination.
In 1973 when a tree limb broke off, a count of the rings provided an indication of its age with an estimate of around 485 years.
5. Cedar at 15th and Applegate
A unique-looking deodar cedar on the corner of Applegate and South 15th streets attracts interest from passers-by and is a regular site for children heading to school in that part of town.
“We were told that it was planted the same year our home was built in 1939,” property owner Rachel Bruce wrote in her nomination. “The tree shades the majority of our front yard and house. The limbs grew in an odd, but striking shape, making them perfect for climbing. People stop on a regular basis to admire our gorgeous tree.”
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
