Jack London’s Big Oak to Come Down

This fall will be the last acorn season for Jack London’s big oak tree, the one near his cottage in Jack London State Park.

According to a report first published last week in the Kenwood Press,  the 50-foot tall live oak is suffering from wood decay, a condition discovered after a branch 30 inches in diameter came down during a winter storm last year.

Plagued by a “wood decay organism” that has severely weakened the already aging oak, the 50-foot tall and six-foot wide at the trunk coast live oak towering over Jack London’s cottage in the park will be cut down once the fall acorn season ends around October or November. Depending on the potential acorn yield though, it may come down sooner.

“it’s not Sudden Oak Death syndrome, but two unrelated pathogenic fungi,” said Tjiska Van Wyk, Executive Director of the Jack London State Historic Park.  “They’re causing limb failure and a die-back of the canopy.”

The condition was discovered last December, when a branch with a diameter of 30 inches fell during a winter storm. Van Wyk said they called in first one, then two, then three arborists before recognizing that their unanimous diagnosis was inevitable: the tree was dying, and must come down.

“We didn’t want to hear that,” she said.

Arborists estimate the tree may be as old as 350-400 years, heading toward the upper limit of Coast Live Oak’s life expectancy. Once it’s cut down, a ring count might be able to determine its age more accurately. Then again, the wood decay may have eaten away at the main trunk, making an exact count impossible.

“The major reason we’re taking it down,” Van Wyk said, instead of letting it fall when it naturally would, “is that it’s in direct line with a state historical monument.” Having the tree fall on the Jack London Cottage itself is out of the question, as it’s dangerous to park personnel and visitors.

Whatever its age, the heritage oak is certainly old enough to have supplied the Sonoma Valley Miwok with acorns, one of the staples of a native diet. The nuts would have been harvested and ground into flour by mortar and pestle, after being cold-flushed in water to leech out their bitter tannins – though the tannic content of different oak species, even individual trees can vary.

By the time London moved into the Beauty Ranch cottage in 1911, the tree was already fully mature.  Instead of a source of protein it served the writer primarily as inspiration, clearly visible from the study where he wrote his final works before his death in 1916.

“Any time you have a much-beloved member of the family reaching the end of life, it’s hard,” said Van Wyk. “It evokes quite an emotional response, much more than I expected.”

Park officials say they are planning a celebration “to appropriately acknowledge the impact the old live oak has made on the lives of current and past residents in the area,” according to the Kenwood Press article.

Van Wyk confirmed that one if not two ceremonies to honor the tree are in the planning stages: One in the summer, a celebration of its impact on the people of the region over the years, with an intergenerational component such as the sharing of stories and planting of the tree’s own acorns "to preserve its DNA,” as Van Wyk said.

Closer to the tree’s eventual taking down, a Native American farewell ceremony may be held as well. Because of its great age and size, some archaeologist have suggested that it may have occupied a significant place in the culture of the local Miwok, providing a significant acorn harvest and been a communal gathering place.

“There’s just a general sadness that the tree has to come down,” said Van Wyk.

Beginning May 1, Jack London Park will be open seven days a week through October 31. The cottage is currently open on week-ends and holidays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A tour of the cottage is also included in all docent-led tours of the Beauty Ranch.

Do you have memories, stories or photos of the tree? Share them here on Patch.

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