Afternoon winds claim pear tree on the square

Friday, October 30, 2009
By ERIC CRUMP/Editor

A pear tree on the northeast corner of the Marshall square awaits removal Friday, Oct. 30, after gusty winds blew it over.
(Eric Crump/Democrat-News)
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The weather Friday afternoon, Oct. 30, was right out of a Winnie the Pooh book. Blustery.

And it was blustery enough to uproot a pear tree at the northeast corner of the Marshall square, sending it crashing into the 1997 Ford Ranger driven by Charles McKenzie of Marshall shortly after 2 p.m.

According to the report, McKenzie told Marshall police he was traveling south on Jefferson Avenue and beginning to turn right onto North Street when the tree fell onto his vehicle.

Terry Gibson, assistant foreman in the Municipal Services street department, pulls a downed pear tree out of the roadway Friday afternoon, Oct. 30. Gibson was assisted by Aaron Ross and Bill Anderson.
(Eric Crump/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]
McKenzie was not injured in the incident, though the tree scratched the paint on the truck from the passenger side door to the rear fender on the same side, according to the report.

Bill Anderson, director of Municipal Services, said the tree might have been one of the oldest on the square.

The decorative pear trees were first planted in 1994, he said.

Terry Gibson helps direct backhoe operator Carl Black as he removes a pear tree that was blown over by gusty winds Friday afternoon on the Marshall square.
(Eric Crump/Democrat-News)
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Municipal Services crews replace a couple of tree every year, Anderson said, as they get old or contract disease. Last year a number of pear trees on South Odell Avenue and Morrow Street were removed after suffering from a blight.

In addition to the tree claimed by the brisk afternoon winds, MMS crews removed three others from the square Friday.

Anderson said the trees would be replaced in the spring.

Contact Eric Crump at marshalleditor@socket.net

Comments

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Classified as an act of God unless the trucks owner can prove the City had prior knowledge or warning that this tree would fall or break...

-- Posted by Gumby on Mon, Nov 2, 2009, at 12:33 PM

what about the guy whose truck this tree hit supposedly? city going to reimburse him? there was a polic report filed apparently about it ... how come this isn't covered?

-- Posted by aikman8 on Sun, Nov 1, 2009, at 9:01 PM

Response by Eric Crump/Editor:

Police left just as I arrived. We'll get the report in the morning.

Those Bradford pears are very, very pretty, but they are also very, very prone to being blown over in a stiff wind. We have a beautiful one in our backyard - at least for now, anyway. When it's gone, I'm replacing it with a dogwood.

-- Posted by Kathy Fairchild on Sat, Oct 31, 2009, at 2:50 PM

My husband planted that tree, so if it was one of the oldest on the square, then they must all be pretty young trees!

-- Posted by jamhenk on Sat, Oct 31, 2009, at 11:41 AM

I think those trees are such a nice touch to our square...especially in the spring!

-- Posted by oneofmany on Fri, Oct 30, 2009, at 11:32 PM