The Linden Oak Tree, which at approximately 300 years is estimated to be the oldest white oak tree in Montgomery County, will be removed on Tuesday, July 18, by Montgomery Parks. the historic tree, which is located at the intersection of Beach Drive, Grosvenor Lane and Rockville Pike in Rock Creek Park, is in declining health.
The tree removal will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 18. If weather conditions are bad, the date will be changed.
During the tree removal, Beach Drive, Grosvenor Lane and Rockville Pike will remain open, but the connector road from Rockville Pike to Beach Drive will be closed.
In its prime, the Linden Oak stood 95 feet tall and its crown spanned about 150 feet. It was the “Montgomery Champion Tree” from 1976-2022, a title given to the largest known white oak tree in the County. In 1976, it was recognized as a Bicentennial Tree — a distinction given to trees thought to have been alive during the founding of America.
In recent years, age and environmental stressors have taken their toll on the tree. It has dropped several limbs and a major branch, and one side of its trunk is rotting.
“By taking down the tree now, before it rots away completely, we are able to salvage some of the wood and turn it into something beautiful to memorialize its long existence” said Montgomery Parks Senior Urban Forester Colter Burkes.
The usable wood from the tree will be taken to nearby Ken-Gar Local Park, where a chainsaw artist will carve it into a sculpture. The trunk of the Linden Oak will remain in place, along with two existing memorial plaques. One plaque commemorates the Linden Oak being named a Bicentennial Tree in 1976 for surviving the American Revolution. The other plaque recognizes the efforts of local citizens to save the tree from destruction during Metro construction in the 1970s.
Montgomery Parks manages more than 37,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 420 parks. Montgomery Parks is a department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high-quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems.
