Anne Frank tree falls over in wind, heavy rain

[sabra]

Source: MSNBC

150-year-old tree 'broke off like a match,' museum spokesman says

AMSTERDAM — The monumental chestnut tree that cheered Anne Frank while she was in hiding from the Nazis was toppled by wind and heavy rain on Monday.

The once mighty tree, now diseased and rotted through the trunk, snapped about 3 feet above ground and crashed across several gardens. It damaged a brick wall and several sheds, but nearby buildings — including the Anne Frank House museum — escaped unscathed. No one was injured, authorities said.

"It broke off like a match. It broke off completely about one meter off the ground," the spokesman for the museum told Reuters.

A global campaign to save the chestnut, widely known as The Anne Frank Tree, was launched in 2007 after city officials deemed it a safety hazard and ordered it felled. The tree was granted a last-minute reprieve after a battle in court.

The 150-year-old tree suffered from fungus and moths that had caused more than half its trunk to rot.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38814121/ns/world_news-europe/

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The splintered trunk of the monumental chestnut tree that comforted Anne Frank while she hid from the Nazis during World War II is seen Monday after it fell.

[onehandle]

1. Sucko, but 150 years is a pretty good run. nt

[truthisfreedom]

2. Saving some things is unfortunately misguided.

Should have been brought down safely instead of leaving it up as a hazard.

[nyy1998]

3. I'm betting the city council must be relieved

Now they could removed the tree, and those that wanted the tree to stay can't really say much cause well, there is no tree left. It's a win-win for everyone involved. Except of course, the tree itself.

[NickB79]

4. They've already grafted cuttings from it, so technically it has survived

[Javaman]

16. That's good to know from both an historical point of view and a naturalists point of view. :) nt

[Tansy_Gold]

5. As a woodworker, I'd love to see any remaining healthy wood

salvaged and sold to woodworkers, with proceeds to benefit the museum.


TG

[Pavulon]

13. That is a very good idea and I hope they do just that

I have seen incredible art made from wood and it is a highly underrated medium...

[Tansy_Gold]

14. I'm not sure about the second one

but without looking at the source, I'd guess the first bowl is spalted maple or spalted birch. Spalting is actually a kind of preliminary rotting process, as the wood is invaded by the fungi that eventually destroy it.

Here's a bowl from spalted horse chestnut




It's almost sinful how much beautiful wood goes to waste every year as we just cut up downed trees and toss them in a landfill or burn them up. While not every variety is suitable for woodworking, much that is ends up as mulch or ash.

This is a small bowl made from ironwood salvaged when developers bulldozed the desert north of Buckeye, AZ in 2001 to build the massive Sundance development. The inlay is crushed chrysocolla; the wood doesn't come with that pretty blue stuff naturally!



TG

[jberryhill]

6. Was this revenge for Dutch Elm Disease?

The Elm Liberation Front should be investigated.

[One of Many]

7. You git!

We're the Front for Liberation of Elms, not the E.L.F. .. those effing splitters. SPLITTERS!

[yellowcanine]

8. Actually "Dutch Elm Disease" is misnamed. Dutch elms are as susceptible as any other elms.

The disease is thought to have originated in Asia. It was first identified in the Netherlands in 1921; that is why it was misnamed Dutch Elm disease.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_elm_disease

[jberryhill]

9. It's all been part of the plan for Dutch world domination

The Dutch have been pursuing an expansionist policy for centuries.

By the time they have drained the Atlantic, it will be too late to hear the wooden shoes creeping up on us.

[Dinger]

10. Sad (nt)

[JI7]

11. Can they put another one up ?

[Ian David]

12. I bet branches from this tree can be grafted onto other elm trees. n/t

[Javaman]

15. That trunk was not "splintered"...

As sad as it is for it falling, it was clearly diseased.

I bet most of that wood would crumble in your hand.

Healthy trees do not snap in half like that.