Treaty Oak gets a spa day as arborists groom beloved tree; Austin, TX; 1/24/09

Treaty Oak gets a spa day Austin American-Statesman - Austin,TX,USA
The Treaty Oak, a 600-year-old tree legendary as the alleged meeting place for Stephen F. Austin and Native Americans in the 1800s, is in the tree Hall of Fame. It stands 50 feet tall and once had a 120-foot canopy under which Austinites proposed, meditated and prayed. It has been lovingly referred to as "the most perfect specimen of a tree in North America" and is the last of the Council Oaks, a group of trees considered sacred before much of Austin was settled.
The pruning of the tree would normally cost $3,000 to $5,000, Passmore said. Saturday's efforts were donated by arborists with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department's Forestry Program and the International Society of Arboriculture.