Norwich school to cut down 160-year-old tree

NORWICH, Conn. (AP) — Norwich Free Academy has reluctantly agreed to cut down a 160-year-old tree.

Rich Rand, the school's chief financial officer, told members of the board of trustees on Tuesday that that the Weeping European beech tree must go after a 1,000-pound limb recently crashed to the ground.

The Day of New London and The Bulletin report that school officials are concerned about safety.

The tree has Beech Bark disease that has eaten away at the core of branches and the trunk. The tree's estimated lifespan is up to 125 years.

Over the years, the school has installed cables to support large limbs and have fertilized the ground regularly.

School officials say they are sentimental about the tree, which has been a presence since the Civil War era or earlier.