In the last issue I wrote about Connecticut’s white oak and its place in the history of our state charter. That issue also contained information from the Granby Land Trust about the Dewey Granby Oak on Day Street. In this issue, I’ll tell you about another very special white oak. It is located on Holcomb Farm’s Tree Trail.
Where did our little oak come from? The Connecticut Tree Protective Association (CTPA) is a non-profit organization based in Wallingford dedicated to advancing the care of trees and promoting the arboriculture profession. In 2019, the association donated a white oak tree to every one of the 169 towns in our state. The project was developed to mark the 100th anniversary of the state’s pioneering arborist law, which mandates that those practicing commercial tree care pass a certification exam and become licensed by the state. In this, Connecticut was the first in the nation.
In addition to techniques of tree care, the exam includes a section on safety procedures that protect the arborist and the public at large. It was proposed by a group of individuals from the Connecticut Experiment Station and other organizations involved in tree care.
Three years after the Connecticut Arborist Law was passed, the CTPA was formed to help those training to apply for their arborist license. It now contains almost 800 members. There are currently about 1,000 licensed arborists in Connecticut.
The white oak was chosen in honor of the legendary Charter Oak. In the summer of 2019, well-known state arborist John Kehoe noticed that Granby had not yet received its white oak. He contacted Public Works Director Kirk Severance, who put him in touch with Eric Lukingbeal who was instrumental in establishing an arboretum on the eastern side of Holcomb Farm in West Granby. It was decided that the tree trail would be the appropriate place for the gift. On Sept. 18, 2019, Granby officials and Holcomb Farm members gathered on the knoll of the trail and planted the new acquisition.
You can see how well it has done in the past seven years by visiting the Farm’s tree trail across the street from the farmhouse at 113 Simsbury Road. There is a bench on the knoll where you can sit to enjoy the view and reflect on how Connecticut was the first to establish criteria for licensing arborists.