PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF WILMINGTON
An iconic 60-inch diameter live oak tree that’s graced the side of
the road in Wilmington for at least 200 years has been saved. The
tree was in danger of being sacrificed to development, but organized
outcry caused the city, county and state officials to work with the
company putting in a new shopping center to find a solution.
The Ogden Oak, near the intersection of Market Street and
Middle Sound Loop Road, was moved about 50 yards, preserving
the tree while still allowing for construction and parking at the
Ogden Marketplace, which includes a Publix supermarket.
“Halpern Enterprises the developer is to be commended for
their vision and the money and effort that they invested, on behalf
of our community, in saving the Ogden Oak and preserving the
other mature trees on the Publix property,” Wilmington Mayor
Bill Saffo said at a ceremony commemorating the relocation.
“This is a great example of how many agencies can be on the same
page to make something good happen. The City of Wilmington,
New Hanover County, the North Carolina Department of
Transportation, and the Wilmington Tree Commission worked
together to achieve this important objective.”
Hampstead company Connolly Tree Preservation dug around the
tree’s root ball, lifted it out and onto a system of rollers, and relo-cated
it on Sept. 15. The project was estimated to cost $80,000.
OGDEN OAK RESET
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WBM november 2017
— Simon Gonzalez