Tolkien’s love for trees is no secret. Tolkien’s love for trees dates back to his childhood. Later, his love manifested itself in the creation of the Two Trees of Valinor or Ents. During his time at Oxford, one particular black pine, rumoured to be over 200 years old, became his favourite and is nowadays known as ‘Tolkien’s tree’. Now, The Oxford Botanic Garden has announced that the black pine has to be cut down for safety reasons after two limbs fell from the tree on Saturday.
In a press release, the director of the Botanic Garden said:
The black pine was a highlight of many people’s visits to the Botanic Garden and we are very sad to lose such an iconic tree. We intend to propagate from this magnificent tree so that future generations will not miss out on this important link to Tolkien. We are considering using the wood from the black pine for an educational project along the lines of the One Oak project and hope to hold a celebratory event to commemorate the tree and its many associations in due course.
Moreover, Dr Stuart Lee, an academic at Oxford University, points out: “Tolkien hated the wanton destruction of trees for no reason but it sounds to me like this is for all the right reasons so whilst this is sad news, it is inevitable.”
You are able to read the press release over here.
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