We want to take some time to tell a story about our founder, Jared Webber, and how he’s been part of one of Buffalo’s longest-running plant healthcare adventures. The Buffalo News ran a story about Jared and how he’s cared for the oldest living tree here in Buffalo, the big oak in Delaware Park. It has been one of Bradley Tree’s most important goals, which is to help preserve and protect the great trees of this city and across Western New York.
This story helps to show that we’ve been doing it for longer than most people think, and we want to show what that means for Jared and how his family has been instrumental in caring for Buffalo’s oldest Oak tree.
In this blog, we will talk about this news story, explain how the tree has lasted so long, and show how Jared was a big part in making that happen.
The History of The Delaware Oak Tree
The history of how this tree was able to be confirmed as Buffalo’s oldest Oak tree (and maybe the oldest in general) came from a story published in 2018 by the Buffalo Rising. The tree was measured and calculated to have been around 200 inches in circumference, with a 64-inch diameter, putting the age of the tree at around 318 years old.
Oak trees, in particular, are one of the most abundant trees in Western New York, with some variants like red oak being the most common. Many have survived for a long time, but none have survived as long as the one in Delaware Park that we are talking about today.
The history of this tree is elevated even more by our very own Jared Webber, who, as he notes in the Buffalo News special presentation (see below), this tree is one that his family has been caring for since his grandparents were around. His grandfather was the one who worked the most with it after his service in World War 2 and came back home to work for a tree company called Davy Tree, who were involved with caring for it.
Jared and his family have been taking care of it for over 60 years now, and the tree has gone through just about everything you can think of, infrastructure changes in the surrounding area, and even something as damaging as the 2006 October Storm, which severely damaged it.
Jared and Bradley Tree came in afterwards and took care of it by pruning it, trimming dead or weakened branches, and fertilizing the area to keep it going. This tree is very important to the company, and we are very fortunate to be telling this story about its history and what it means for Bradley Tree.
How to Take Care of Older Trees Like the Delaware Oak
Something that makes this story great is that it gives us the ability to talk to you about what it means to care for trees that are of an older age, like the Delaware Oak. Using that tree as the main example, it will allow you to learn what’s best for preserving your trees for as long as possible if you choose to keep them around.
Oak trees in particular have much slower growth than other trees; their wood is stronger, and they are naturally resilient, which is no surprise because of what the Delaware Oak has been through. The environment was hit hard during that storm, but the tree survived through it all.
When certified arborists like Jared are able to regularly come and inspect the tree, that’s another way a tree can be preserved for as long as one like the Delaware Oak. Most people completely forget to inspect their trees, and diseases and other negative circumstances can sneakily come in and hurt the tree so much that it can’t be sustained anymore and must be removed.
After most of that regular inspection from arborists is completed, that gives you the ability to do most of the tasks involved with preserving it, as Jared outlined in his interview. You have to prune the tree, trim branches, fertilize it with soil periodically, water it, and protect the trunk by not putting any weight on it or using other tools around it that will damage the bark.
One of the other elements to the Delaware Oak’s long-term survival to this day has to do with where it’s located. Other than it being one of the tree species that can last longer on its own naturally, where a tree is located matters a lot. When you look at the picture below, it’s in a spot in the park that’s all to its own and not surrounded by any invasive plants, roads, or other infrastructure. That means it won’t suffer much from erosion or the city coming in to build on the land with a new structure around it.
It has been one of Bradley Tree’s greatest accomplishments to care for this tree, and we will continue to do so in the future for the next generation. If you want to learn more about this story, we’ve already made a video on the Olmstead Oak Tree, and we recommend you go check it out!
If you have any questions and want to learn more about how to preserve your older trees, reach out through our contact form, and we can’t wait to help!