SALEM, Ore. — For centuries, a massive white oak has stood on Marion Street Northeast, watching Salem grow up around it. Once alone in a valley, the tree now towers over sidewalks, streets, and homes, its wide branches a reminder of a time long before the city existed.
But this centuries-old witness to history is dying. The city of Salem says fungal infection has weakened the oak, and for safety reasons, it will come down April 1. A second tree across the street, believed to be roughly the same age, is scheduled for removal April 2.
“This tree has all of those possibilities of being old,” said David Craig, a biology professor at Willamette University. “The big, wide branches show how it grew when it had space to reach for sunlight.”…