Second opinion saves iconic oak

The large pin oak tree that shades the Jasper Farmers Market near the train depot will remain standing for now.

Last month, J.P. Stemply told the Jasper Park Board the tree would likely have to come down. Stemle had a certified arborist inspect the towering oak after a large limb fell in late September. Since that time, caution tape has warned visitors from walking under the tree or parking near it.

Stemply told the board he thought a fungus was potentially weakening the towering 85-foot tree.

The tree is the icon of Jasper’s popular farmers market which is held in the grassy area in front of the depot at Jackson and Third. During the warm summer Saturdays, the tree’s broad expanse keeps the market shaded most of the morning.

Larry Caplan, a Purdue University Extension Horticulturalist Educator who is a certified tree assessor, was asked to give an opinion on the tree in November. “He feels it can be saved,” Stemply told the board Tuesday. “He doesn’t feel like the disease is quite as bad as we thought.”

Caplan recommended the tree be pruned to remove water shoots and to lighten the load on the tree. He also recommended a semi-permanent fence be placed around the drip line of the tree.

Caplan reported the tree suffered from wetwood, a common bacterial infection. According to Stemply, Caplan reported the limb that fell was probably the focus for the infection and that the rest of the tree appeared to be relatively healthy.

Patoka 2000, a special beautification committee of the Jasper Chamber, recognized the tree as one of the oldest in the city during a special ceremony in 2008.

Stemply estimated it was around 150 years old.