Comments on: Herbie — what remains

By: Herbie: the next phase « Taking Place In The Trees

Herbie: the next phase « Taking Place In The Trees — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:51:55 +0000

[...] June 21, 2010 by Deborah Howe Yesterday I swung by the site where Herbie, the American Elm in Yarmouth, Maine, had stood for over two centuries. Herbie was taken down last January; to read the tale see this post, and to see photos of Herbie’s stump, click on this link. [...]

By: Deborah Howe

Deborah Howe — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:47:38 +0000

Joe, thanks very much for your kind words. I had a delightful visit to your website (especially liked the articles about your educational tree plantings, and the quotes), and hope we have a chance to meet some time.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 12:00:10 +0000

Hi Deborah,

Just wanted to tell you I discovered your blog this moring and find your tree advocacy commendable.
Keep up the good work and someday I will match your name with a real face to face in person.

By: Deborah Howe

Deborah Howe — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:45:07 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Cynthia. Herbie’s stump itself is worth going to see, just to witness its massive size. I like the idea of sealing it, too — but even that would be a temporary measure, as decay would start from the roots. About 20 years ago an old elm on a Cambridge street was taken down and the remaining trunk carved by a local artist into a throne. The artist sealed all the cut surfaces. Within a few years decay had moved into the piece, despite the sealing — without the active mechanisms of life (circulation, for instance, and growth regulation and compartmentalization) — the tree was fairly quickly returning to the earth. That in itself was an interesting process to watch…….

By: cynthia hartdegen

cynthia hartdegen — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 03:01:47 +0000

Nice photos! A much cleaner cut than the large oak my aunt recently lost, and no decay! I like the idea of sealing it: coating it with something that would accentuate the rings, and make it a sculpture, perhaps with a little sign memorializing the tree. (in your spare time…)

By: Deborah Howe

Deborah Howe — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:24:45 +0000

Interesting idea! The surface is so smooth and well-cut it’d be possible — though the evidence of just the rings and bark lobes is pretty compelling on its own, too.

By: City4ster

City4ster — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:06:17 +0000

Someone needs to make some cool historical looking line art type drawing on that and then seal it . Really find a good pencil or charcoal artist and have them look at it