Toomer’s Corner oaks

[fpsduck]

He intentionally damage property of another, in this case trees that are older than any poster on this blog. You can't easily replace something like that. Jail time is warranted, 6 months is about right.

If he burned a field of corn in an attempt to destroy a farmer's crop he would of gotten a similar punishment for what it is worth. One cannot just go around destroying another's property.

Trees older than that get cut down all the time here in Oregon.

[woundedknees]

There is a pretty significant difference between the legal harvest of timber, and the illegal poisoning of Landmark Trees.

And there are not nearly as many 2-300 year old trees being cut as in bygone eras... Well over 50% of the harvested timber in Oregon is less than 100 years old. Most of it is reproduction timber, i.e., second growth that was on land originally harvested in the last century, as well as privately owned.

[wheaton4prez]

If identical trees were on some random farm that nobody knew about, I doubt someone who poisoned them would receive any jail time at all. Fine and probation most likely. The guy deserved a penalty. But, it does seem wrong that it would be a heightened penalty due to football fan anger.

I've had a hard time finding details explaining how they knew for certain that the trees needed to be removed. Anyone have a link?

I found this: "As John Zenor of the Associated Press points out, the school is in the preparation stages of a seven-figure plan to keep the area a hot spot for the Auburn faithful after it was poisoned by an arch-rival Alabama Crimson Tide fan."

Sounds a little fishy to me.

[Bud Lee]

If identical trees were on some random farm that nobody knew about, I doubt someone who poisoned them would receive any jail time at all. Fine and probation most likely. The guy deserved a penalty. But, it does seem wrong that it would be a heightened penalty due to football fan anger.

I've had a hard time finding details explaining how they knew for certain that the trees needed to be removed. Anyone have a link?

I found this: "As John Zenor of the Associated Press points out, the school is in the preparation stages of a seven-figure plan to keep the area a hot spot for the Auburn faithful after it was poisoned by an arch-rival Alabama Crimson Tide fan."

Sounds a little fishy to me.

The fact that they were dead was probably a big clue that they needed to be removed. From what I understand they are going to try to replace them, which is a very costly processes. The trees themselves would be 6 figures apiece, then you have to dig them, move them, plant them, and spend a fortune to nurture them until they are stable. A buddy of mine did something similar on his property but with a cheaper version of a live oak, ran about 250,000 from what he told me.

If it was on someone’s personal property, he would have to compensate the property owner for the value of the trees and would still get the minimum of 6 months from what I understand. Like I said earlier, you have to take in consideration that this was a venerated object, hence my statue analogy.

[Duck07]

If somebody destroyed the Liberty Bell I don't think people would be saying "aww its just some iron, its not like we can't forge a new one."

[Bud Lee]

If somebody destroyed the Liberty Bell I don't think people would be saying "aww its just some iron, its not like we can't forge a new one."

Exactly, it isn't just the tree, it is what they were. In other words you had two laws that he violated.

[squintsdd]

If somebody destroyed the Liberty Bell I don't think people would be saying "aww its just some iron, its not like we can't forge a new one."

This is a tough comparison. I get what you're saying, but the liberty bell is a national symbol. The Toomer Oaks are an auburn symbol.

[Duck07]

If somebody destroyed the Liberty Bell I don't think people would be saying "aww its just some iron, its not like we can't forge a new one."

This is a tough comparison. I get what you're saying, but the liberty bell is a national symbol. The Toomer Oaks are an auburn symbol.

That doesn't make any sense; a symbol only has any meaning if it is federally recognized?

If someone poisoned this tree in Oregon, I'd would be extremely pissed off and make sure they were charged accordingly.

http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segments/view/1739

Its real simple: nobody has the right to go around destroying (poisoning) things that do not belong to them.

[squintsdd]

If somebody destroyed the Liberty Bell I don't think people would be saying "aww its just some iron, its not like we can't forge a new one."

This is a tough comparison. I get what you're saying, but the liberty bell is a national symbol. The Toomer Oaks are an auburn symbol.

Its real simple: nobody has the right to go around destroying (poisoning) things that do not belong to them.

I'm not disagreeing with that at all. I said earlier in this thread that he should be punished in some way. Bud informed me of what the final outcome was and I again agreed. There are just some comparisons being made with these trees that don't necessarily line up, especially since they were trees that technically got vandalized on a regular basis in the first place.

[ncduck]

I still think it's weird that the way the celebrate the trees is by puting butt-wipe all over them.

[RanDux]

I still think it's weird that the way the celebrate the trees is by puting butt-wipe all over them.

You ever tried to clean that up after a hard rain?

[woundedknees]

I still think it's weird that the way the celebrate the trees is by puting butt-wipe all over them.

You ever tried to clean that up after a hard rain?

There are 5-15 minute cloudbursts all over the South that would pretty well clean that stuff outa the trees in short order... Sorta hard to arrange it right after an Auburn victory, though.

[ncduck]

I still think it's weird that the way the celebrate the trees is by puting butt-wipe all over them.

You ever tried to clean that up after a hard rain?

Exactly my point. "Hooray, we win. Let's make a giant mess on our mostest sacred trees." They treated those trees like crap. This inbred hillbilly just took it a few hundred steps too far.

[Bud Lee]

I still think it's weird that the way the celebrate the trees is by puting butt-wipe all over them.

Not as weird as WVU burning couches though