Auburn's Toomer's Corner Oaks poisoned

[carnation]

Ohhhh....

Some psycho called into a radio show in Auburn and announced that he'd poisoned our 100+ year old oaks with herbicide. The Forestry Department got there too late and it appears that the oaks probably won't survive. The ones we've rolled after victories all these years.

Even Bama fans are upset and offering any help they can give. I hope the police fry the SOB who did this.

[KSUViolet06]

Ohmygoodness. Why would somebody do this?

[AZTheta]

No. What? Who would poison TREES? SMH.

ETA: Realized that those trees won't be there when AZ-AlphaXi and I make it to Auburn on our SEC tour. We don't HAVE trees like that here in the desert. I can't even imagine the beauty of the area... and poisoning the earth? There's no explanation for this, none whatsoever.

[amanda6035]

http://podcasting.fia.net/6960/4653697.mp3

There are only 2 words that describe folks like this: white trash.

**edit** okay, 3. BITTER white trash.

[carnation]

This hort professor I used to teach with there says that if the trees don't die, they'll probably have to be removed because they'll be so severely disfigured. I don't know what kind of sicko kills trees--y'all remember the Treaty Oak in Texas awhile back?

It would seem like it'd be easy to trace who had bought massive amounts of a specific herbicide. The average guy on the street can't just go out and buy this stuff.

I think they should drop the guy in the middle of Jordan-Hare Stadium and let the Auburn fans deal with him.

[KKGCaroline]

Originally Posted by carnation

I think they should drop the guy in the middle of Jordan-Hare Stadium and let the Auburn fans deal with him.

^^ agree

[Alumiyum]

They already know who it is, so he'll be punished I'm sure. That's the dumbest shit ever. What does killing historic trees prove?

[Gusteau]

One of my brothers posted this awesome picture on facebook:

[carnation]

That was posted right after the BCS win, the same week that Alabama and Georgia got tons of snow. When someone first sent it to me, I thought it was a picture of snow-covered trees--and here I have a doctorate in horticulture. But I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago from a retired hort professor, one of the best ever in the field, and he told me, "Don't feel bad, I thought it was snowy trees too."

The Forestry Department has been selling acorns from the trees for years as a fundraiser but how can you replace history? Some schools, like Arkansas, have a building as their main and much-beloved symbol and a comparison might be--if someone razed Old Main and blacktopped the block it was on. Maybe you know what a comparison at your school would be.

But these trees, these gorgeous trees...and I haven't seen it addressed yet but no doubt that amount of herbicide in the soil (51 times what it would take to kill the trees) would render the soil unplantable. I don't know how far the herbicide has percolated through the soil but it'll probably kill all those gorgeous azaleas nearby.

And all because someone was pissed that Auburn won the Iron Bowl.

[GatorDG]

This is one of the saddest things I have ever heard of anyone doing. Those trees are just so beautiful and such a symbol. PLUS to make the area unplantable is just downright immoral. The whole thing is immoral. I know we love our football in the south, but this is truly a nutcase. He deserves to be put in the stadium to let all the Auburn fans have a go at him.

[carnation]

You know what? If they put him in jail, he'd have to be in permanent solitary confinement. Can you imagine what the other prisoners would do to him?

[ComradesTrue]

I have no connection to Auburn, and in fact my in-laws went to Bama. However, I find this terribly sad. And, yes, Carnation, I do remember the beautiful, historic tree that was poisened in Texas a few years ago. I am pretty sure that scumbag was never caught.

[Tulip86]

That's so ridiculous! Why would you take your anger out on trees?

[Senusret I]

Realistically though, is this even a felony?

[carnation]

Yes, because of the thousands in property damage. Once the trees and shrubs begin to break dormancy in the spring, the herbicide will really take effect and could damage the majority of the landscape in that area.