Legacy tree at historic Franklin church won't survive expansion, but we must save it

New Year’s resolutions are made with the firm determination to do something good.  My resolution is to save a magnificent tree endangered by Franklin’s approval of “St. Paul’s Church subdivision site plans” for the oldest Episcopal church in Tennessee.

Years ago, visionary vestry leaders bought land behind the church for future growth and development.  On the historic footprint of the church established in 1827 in the quaint courtyard lives a champion tree, the largest male pecan tree in Tennessee.

Francis, as he is fondly named, has shaded the annual Blessing of the Animals for decades, but he will not survive the church’s site plans for demolition and construction. A protection, preservation and care plan must be adopted to Save Francis from the weight of demolition and construction crushing and slowing killing his roots.

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The plight of the American buffalo provides a warning

Last fall the Franklin Theater hosted a preview of “The American Buffalo”, a film by Ken Burns followed by a panel discussion with former Sen. Bill Frist.

Pulitzer Prize winning writer, and canon historian for the National Cathedral, Jon Meacham, was asked the reason behind capturing, learning, and retelling the past.

“The point of history is to look it in the eye, access what they got right and what they got wrong…(and) to think about what we are doing now that in posterity they won’t look back and say, 'What the hell were they doing?'" he said.

The film is haunting, heartbreaking and heartwarming.  It is the first Ken Burn’s film about an animal.

This magnificent animal was essentially “gone” from the Great Plains and the indigenous people who relied on and revered them. Why? Industrial scale greed.  “What the hell were they doing?”

Let's not take our trees for granted

Our legacy trees face the same dilemma today.  Even though they are vitally important to all levels of society, they are rapidly falling victim to human growth and development year by year.

The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, the state’s largest nonprofit voice for trees, is striving to expand public awareness of the vital roles trees and forests play in our cities.  They take nominations of trees for their Registry of Landmark, Historic and Heritage trees.

A developer in Williamson County and the county planning department reconfigured a subdivision to save a 300-year-old tree, fondly named Ruth after the woman who rang the alarm to save her.  The developer realized Ruth was a priceless amenity.

I am grateful to arborist Marty Shaw and his professional amenity appraisal of Francis.  When asked what he thought he thought of Francis, he used one word, “Magnificent!”  Throughout "The American Buffalo" film, the word, “magnificent” was used to describe the bison.  People took the buffalo for granted as now we do our large historic trees.

This New Year I resolve to educate and encourage cities and counties to adopt effective protection/preservation ordinances for legacy trees before they are gone.  Please help give voice to Save Francis at Change.org. Save Historic St. Paul’s.

Laura Turner is an advocate and educator. She is a member of Citizens for Old Natchez Trace and she resides in Franklin, Tennessee. Laura can be reached at lturner@oldnatcheztrace.org.  

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Conservation: Legacy tree at historic Franklin church is in danger