A large black walnut tree near Johnson Hall that is stricken with thousand cankers disease will be removed Wednesday, Sept. 7, according to Phil Carroll, the university’s landscape supervisor in Campus Planning and Facilities Management.

Removal, by local arborist Sperry Tree Care, will take a day, and grinding down the stump will take another half-day.

"It’s always disappointing when we have to remove one of campus’ large, beautiful trees," Carroll said. "But safety is a top priority, and we’re always planting and managing this de facto arboretum with health and beauty in mind."

The disease, which typically affects black walnuts and is spread by tiny beetles, gradually weakens and kills limbs and finally the structure of the tree, Carroll said. That raises the risk of injury to pedestrians, or damage to buildings and vehicles, from falling branches or trunks.

Wood from the removed tree will be saved for potential use in campus projects. Examples of uses of wood salvaged from campus trees include decorative elements in Allen Hall and wood art in the Ford Alumni Center. Other reclaimed wood is being milled now for use in next year’s Chapman Hall remodel.

This particular walnut tree was diagnosed with thousand cankers disease about five years ago, and Campus Planning and Facilities Management has monitored it since. Carroll said the university’s usual plan is to watch diseased trees for signs of weakening, letting them stand and beautify the campus as long as they are safe.

This tree was identified as needing to be removed in the near future, and a pressing sewer repair project at Johnson Hall moved up the timetable since sewer excavation was near the tree’s root zone. That project is scheduled for Sept. 12-14.