Very old tree near Highlandville gets cut down

In 1820, James Madison was the President of the United States—only the fifth person to hold that title.  Also in 1820—or maybe even earlier—the first sprout of a buffalo oak tree sprang up on property a little northwest of what is now Highlandville.  In the two centuries since then, the oak tree grew wide and tall.  The property the buffalo oak tree was on eventually was purchased by Warren and Lois Shuros.  The tree became a favorite of the Shuroses, but they learned this year that the tree was rotting and beginning to die.

On Monday, Rick Landsom and his tree cutting crew from Spring Grove came to the Shuroses' property to cut down the tree.  Landsom says it's "a unique tree with its burls" and something "real unusual."

That was also why the Shuroses like the tree—and decided they would "do something to honor it," in Warren's words.  Warren is a woodworker, so the tree wood which came down on Monday—and there is a lot of it—will be used by Warren in upcoming wood projects.  Those projects will be put up for sale and all the proceeds will be donated to Batten Disease research, in memory of their daughter, Kesley, who died from the disease in 2014.  Some of the funds will also be donated to the North and South Bear Creek Watershed Endowment funds.

For information about Warren Shuros' planned woodworking projects, text him at (612) 616-7407.

Those projects will take place over the next months.  On Monday, however, the thoughts turned to everything the buffalo oak must have witnessed over the past 200 years as it stood next to a small creek and gave shelter to birds and wildlife in the wooded area.