Auburn's Oaks on Toomer's Corner

Some of you may remember the tragedy that struck the Live Oaks at Auburn, known for the tradition of being rolled after big wins. Back in 2010, after Auburn beat Alabama and went on to win the National Championship, a lone Alabama fan, Harvey Updyke, took it upon himself to poison these trees and later call into a well known radio show to brag about it. I wrote an emotional blog about it at the time, and even I didn't expect the outpouring of support received from all over the SEC, even 'Bama. Who'd of thought our tradition would spur that emotion and support from others.

Well, it's been nearly two years now, and the Ag Department staff and students at the school (and others beyond our campus) have been doing everything possible to save them. They started by digging out all of the contaminated soil, but they could already see signs of the poison in the trees early on. But they didn't give up hope. They continued to nurture the trees, even though when spring came along, they showed serious signs of struggle. They pruned back the areas of the trees, getting as much sun and natural strength to the parts of the trees that seemed to show signs of pulling through, literally leaving skeletons of the trees that used to be there.

Fall of 2011 came, and they okayed the rolling of the trees to continue, with the removal of the paper a much more delicate process. I went to a game in 2011 and saw the trees in person. It broke my heart. But at least there were still signs of life.

Earlier this fall, Auburn spoke out with the plan to give the trees until spring to see what kind of life remained. They had some hope, as there were shoots coming from the base of the tree, and a few in some branches. While the full tree canopies would never recover, maybe something could be made of what remained. Until November 17th. Auburn had their 3rd and final win of a dismal football season. But the rolling of Toomer's Corner commenced! A traditional never tasted so sweet! However, that night sometime, the toilet paper caught fire (they are trying to find our how/who), catching the trees on fire, and killing much of what tender life remained.

Again, crushed.

While they haven't outright said this is it for the trees, I can't imagine them able to come back from this. We're heading into winter, which means, while it be minimal compared to up north, the trees will go into a dormancy. Which means what life there was won't even have a chance to heal. Which means it will be difficult for anything to come back in the spring.

You can read about the latest analysis on the webpage created to keep updates on the trees. The latest update goes to a document full of pictures showing before and after shots... neither of which are pretty.

A very, very sad day in Auburn.

One can't help but look back and compare the demise of the trees to the demise of Auburn's football program the last two years. Call me superstitious, but why wouldn't there be a connection? We were at a peak in our football program when this happened. We showed signs of weakness last year, just as the trees did. And this year... it all but died, just like the trees. So next year, start anew with younger, stronger trees and a new coach and a fresh, young team?

I just want to know what's going to come of our tradition. It'll have to stay alive somehow, and rolling little 20' trees won't be the same. I know they've had a task force working on this - it's a big deal! Not only does this affect the tradition of rolling Toomer's Corner, but that corner also stands as the original gateway into campus. So it has to still maintain that welcoming feel, it still has to be a statement corner.

Regardless, the old oak trees that stood there for so long will be greatly missed. They already are, in fact, since they are but a frame of what was once there. One can only hope this becomes a notch in the history of the school, and the tradition that follows is even stronger than one we had, whether it includes rolling Toomer's Corner or not.