One of two mature copper beech (Fagus sylvatica Atropurprea) at Wave Hill in the Bronx. Photo by Jean Zimmerman

Council Board Members Jean Zimmerman and Andy Hillman were featured recently on Doug Still’s This Old Tree podcast. Jean, an arborist, author of seven books, blogger, and co-chair of Region 3 NY ReLeaf, spoke on the This Old Tree Tree Story Shorts episode about a grand copper beech (Fagus sylvatica Atropurpurea) in her childhood town north of New York City.

She and her friends called it the “Elephant Tree” and spent many happy moments in its branches and under its canopy. The tree was located on the overgrown grounds of a celebrity’s abandoned estate–see Jean’s blog post, An iconic tree in the imagination, for more background and for photos of that copper beech and others. In her Tree Story Short, Jean goes on to relate various literary references to the mighty copper beech tree.

Skymaster oak (Quercus robur ‘Pyramich’) in Ithaca. Photo by Andy Hillman

Andy, an urban tree advocate, retired city forester, and Municipal Forestry Institute teaching cadre member, spoke about one particularly meaningful Skymaster oak (Quercus robur ‘Pyramich’) in Ithaca that he and Nina Bassuk chose for the site and planted with students. When it was newly planted at 1.5 inch caliper, the tree faced a seeming threat–one you won’t likely guess! 🌳