Iowa’s oldest oak tree is clinging to life following last month’s EF-4 tornado that hit Madison County. The bur oak, which stands in Pammel State Park, sprouted in 1634, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. That is nearly a full century before the birth of George Washington (1732). “We’re not sure if it’s going to survive or not, but if it doesn’t survive, it’s going to become a critical habitat for woodpeckers and bats and all kinds of wildlife,” said Jessie Lowry, outreach coordinator for the Madison County Conservation Board.Since the tornado, 150 dump truck loads of tree debris have been removed from the park. Dozens of other oak trees there are also among Iowa’s oldest. “This is a really special place in Madison County,” Lowry said. “Because of the rolling topography, it’s really never been plowed, and so we have 40 or 50 of the oldest oak trees in the state of Iowa.”The campground at Pammel State Park reopened Wednesday. The entire cleanup is expected to take years. “It will be a really long time for us to recover,” Lowry said. More from Andrew Mollenbeck:
Iowa’s oldest oak tree is clinging to life following last month’s EF-4 tornado that hit Madison County.
The bur oak, which stands in Pammel State Park, sprouted in 1634, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. That is nearly a full century before the birth of George Washington (1732).
“We’re not sure if it’s going to survive or not, but if it doesn’t survive, it’s going to become a critical habitat for woodpeckers and bats and all kinds of wildlife,” said Jessie Lowry, outreach coordinator for the Madison County Conservation Board.
Since the tornado, 150 dump truck loads of tree debris have been removed from the park. Dozens of other oak trees there are also among Iowa’s oldest.
“This is a really special place in Madison County,” Lowry said. “Because of the rolling topography, it’s really never been plowed, and so we have 40 or 50 of the oldest oak trees in the state of Iowa.”
The campground at Pammel State Park reopened Wednesday. The entire cleanup is expected to take years.
“It will be a really long time for us to recover,” Lowry said.
More from Andrew Mollenbeck:
