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Governor Rell: White Oak Planting At Residence
Commemorates State's 375th Anniversary
Charter Oak is State's Most Famous White Oak


Photo: Governor M. Jodi Rell is joined by DEP Commissioner Amey Marrella and several arborists during a special Arbor Day tree planting at the Governor's Residence in Hartford on Friday, April 30. The 15-foot white oak was planted to commemorate Connecticut's 375th Anniversary. The white oak is the state's official tree. The Charter Oak, which the early Colonists used to hide Connecticut's Charter from the British in 1687 was a white oak. From left, the group includes: Paul Larson of Sprucedale Gardens, Woodstock; Leslie Kane, Audubon Connecticut, Bill Toomey, Highstead Land Management, Redding; Commissioner Marrella, Governor Rell, Ed Richardson, Glastonbury arborist, Ken Placko, Fairfield Tree Warden, Maureen Nicholson, Pomfret Tree Warden, Kevin Kelly, Colchester Tree Warden and Connecticut State Forester Chris Martin.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell today was joined by state Department of Environmental Commissioner Amey Marrella, State Forester Christopher Martin and other environmental advocates at the Governor's Residence in Hartford to plant a white oak in honor of both Arbor Day and the state's 375th Anniversary.

"When we set out to celebrate the 375th Anniversary of Connecticut we looked at a variety of ways to highlight this milestone. We wanted a chance to celebrate our roots and that is exactly what we are doing with the special tree planting," the Governor said.

"Arbor Day presented us with the perfect opportunity to celebrate something exquisitely Connecticut - the Charter Oak. The white oak is the state tree and the Charter Oak is the most famous of all. The Charter Oak is part of our identity and our culture and represents the spirit of freedom and liberty that we all embrace," the Governor said.

The Governor said the story of the Charter Oak is one every schoolchild in Connecticut knows. In 1687, King James II of England sent his agents to take back a charter from colonists who had been granted freedoms 25 years earlier from King Charles. The colonists safely hid the document in a great white oak tree near the banks of the Connecticut River in Hartford and the legend of the Charter Oak was born.

The Charter Oak will also be highlighted this year in a special painting donated by New London artist Mark Patnode, who is donating it to the state in honor of the 375th Anniversary.

At today's ceremony, a 15-foot white oak, acquired from Planters' Choice LLC of Newtown, was planted in south end of the 4.5-acre property of the Governor's Residence. It has the potential to reach 80 to 100 feet in height and 48 inches in diameter. Some have been known to reach the age of 600 years. In Colonial days, large white oaks with low-extending branches served as key meeting points for townspeople.

A bronze plaque, donated by Farmington businessman Marcel Poulin of Matthews International, is being engraved and will be placed at the base of the tree in the near future.

Governor Rell and other dignitaries launched the 375th Anniversary on February 17 at the State Library, which houses the fundamental orders and State Constitution. Historians say 1635 was the critical year in Connecticut history because that year marked the settlement of the three river towns - Windsor, Wethersfield and Hartford - that initially established the colony.

Services and items related to the state's year long 375th Anniversary celebration are donated or purchased with donated funds. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Go to www.CT375.com for more information and to donate. More information on 375th Anniversary events can also be found at:

http://twitter.com/Connecticut375
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hartford-CT/Connecticuts-375thAnniversary/10150113573780463?ref=ts
http://www.youtube.com/user/ct375


Following are 4 dates to save, for workshops
or talks coming up over the next 3 months.

Each of these workshops cover topics that are somewhat related.
However, despite their similarities,
each of these workshops are different.
It is left up to you to decide which workshop
or talk would be of most value to you.
Please consider attending one, two, three or all of them.

No doubt each, in its own way, will be excellent.
Also, unquestionably, we are lucky to have these choices.

The workshops are:

May 20 in Burlington
"Tree Decay-Concepts in Compartmentalization and Detection" - organized by the Connecticut Tree Protective Association. Dr. Kevin Smith of the US Forest Service (successor to Dr. Alex Shigo) will be the speaker. The workshop will discuss the latest concepts relating to compartmentalization as a key survival process for trees and help attendees better understand the structural indicators of decay, defect,
and risk. Also, the "state of the art" with regards to various methods of decay detection and the tradeoffs among them will be discussed.

Further details will be available shortly at www.ctpa.org

May 21 in New Haven
Lockwood Lecture "Tree Survival and Response to Injury, Infection, and Environmental Change" - organized by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Dr. Kevin Smith of the US Forest Service (again) will be the speaker. This lecture will be preceded by tea at 10:30 am and the lecture (for about an hour) at 11. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Further details will be available shortly at www.ct.gov/caes

 

 

 





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