Landmark oak tree cut down at Ross School - Marin, CA

Landmark oak tree cut down at Ross School - Marin Independent Journal

As Ross grapples with the fallout from its demolished one-room schoolhouse, the town had another piece of history disappear Saturday — the stately oak tree in front of Ross School.

Lagunitas Road was closed outside the school so a crew could cut down the dying valley oak, whose age has been estimated at 150 to 200 years. A cross-section of the oak will be saved for students to count the rings, said Jon Logiudice, a tree specialist who was overseeing the operation.

The tree's fate was sealed this month after Becky Duckles, a certified arborist hired by the school district to monitor construction work at Ross School, issued a report saying the oak was dead or dying and had probably been dying for five to seven years.

"It must be removed soon to protect the children from falling branches," Duckles reported.

Among those dismayed by the tree's demise were Mayor Chris Martin and his wife B.J., who are active with the Ross Street Tree Committee. For the mayor, the tree's death has prompted a new fact-finding project.