Blue Gum Gone
- Barbara Aufiero | 9th Street
Taking down our Blue Gum Eucalyptus tree was not an easy decision.
It was a heartbreaking decision to remove our tree, but scientific evidence and expert advice supported it. Since September 2024, we kept a steady vigil on the health of our Blue Gum Eucalyptus after bright yellow fungal blooms appeared at its base. According to tree experts, this was a sign that beneath the surface lay decayed roots.
Nearly two years later, the yellow blooms had spread around two-thirds of the tree’s base, and additional roots had been damaged by the Undergrounding Project. The verdict from three tree specialists was the same: our tree was dying. One expert described it as a “whole tree failure.”
How do you accept the loss of a fully mature tree? It was our gentle giant. It stood as a majestic being with peeling bark revealing waves of pastel colors beneath, standing guard over our home. Its silhouette, more still than Buckingham Palace guards, framed our kitchen window.
It was a hunting ground for hummingbirds searching the canopy for insects among the crescent-shaped leaves. In the early evenings, a hawk would perch silently, watching and waiting for prey. So much life lived within its branches. So much loss.
And now, after two days of saws buzzing and branches being dismantled, we look out onto a blank canvas. A barren view that feels empty and painful, a sympathetic ache of a lost limb, except the limb was an entire tree.
It is natural to question our decision. The reasoning was sound — the risk of the tree falling onto our home, our neighbor’s home, or the street was too great to ignore.
We mourn the loss of our Blue Gum, but we are grateful for the years of beauty, shelter, and life it gave us.