Waverly’s Old Oak Tree has to Come Down

WAVERLY, Iowa (AP) — A bur oak tree in Waverly estimated to be about 217 years old will soon be taken down.

The tree is on the bank of the Cedar River outside the city's Civic Center, and has about two to three years of life left.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forest Health Program leader Tivon Feeley says he noticed some signs of decay years ago that is not uncommon for a tree of its age but the tree's condition has since worsened.

Feeley says there's evidence of root fungus and the tree is beginning to lean. Feeley says the likelihood that the tree, or some of its branches, might fall grows in its weakened state.

The city may plant one of the tree's offspring in the same spot once it's taken down.