A Tree That Has Watched Generations Pass By at Piedmont University
Some places make you stop and look twice.
This enormous old tree on the Piedmont University campus in Demorest, Georgia, did exactly that for me. You can walk past buildings, sidewalks, and landscaping, but a tree like this demands a little attention.
Look at those limbs.
They stretch in nearly every direction, twisting and turning around one another as though the tree has spent decades deciding exactly where it wanted to grow. The trunk is massive, and several of the lower branches are nearly as impressive as smaller trees themselves.
I found myself wondering how old it might be and how much of this campus's history it has witnessed.
Imagine What This Tree Has Seen
Piedmont has been part of Demorest since the late 1800s. Students have arrived, graduated, and moved on. Professors have taught generations of young people. Buildings have been constructed, renovated, and changed.
Through it all, trees like this one quietly become part of the landscape.
How many students have walked beneath these branches?
How many people have stopped underneath it on a hot Georgia afternoon looking for shade?
How many photographs have been taken beside it?
That is one of the things I enjoy about mature trees. We often measure the age of buildings, but we sometimes forget that the landscape has a history of its own.
You Cannot Replace a Mature Tree Overnight
In real estate, mature trees can completely change a property's character.
You can build another house. You can replace a fence. You can redesign landscaping and plant new shrubs.
But you cannot plant a tree today and recreate one like this tomorrow.
Large established trees provide shade, character, and a sense of permanence that takes decades to develop. On older properties and historic campuses, they often become landmarks in their own right.
This particular tree also demonstrates why mature trees deserve proper care. Large limbs need monitoring, the soil around the root system needs protection, and pruning should be done thoughtfully rather than simply cutting branches whenever they become inconvenient.
Sometimes You Need to Look Up
I spend quite a bit of time looking at houses, land, mountains, and lakes. Sometimes something as simple as an old tree reminds me that there is a lot worth noticing between destinations.
If you are ever walking around the Piedmont University campus in Demorest, Georgia, take a minute to look at the trees as well as the buildings.
Some of them may have been standing there longer than almost anyone walking beneath them.
And this one certainly looks as though it has a few stories to tell.
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