DURHAM, N.C. - The stately old magnolia tree at the bottom of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens' terraces is nearly dead, the victim of the very people who have enjoyed it over the years. Duke University horticulturists say the thousands of people who have climbed the magnolia and carved their initials in its trunk and limbs have damaged its thin bark and limited its ability to transport nutrients to the roots, causing them to die. In addition, people have unknowingly contributed to the tree's demise just by walking around its base and compacting the soil, said Harry Jenkins, gardens superintendent. "While trees generally
aren't hurt by people climbing them, no tree can survive the constant activity the magnolia has endured," Jenkins said. "We want visitors to enjoy the gardens, but we must take care of them as well." A southern magnolia (magnolia grandiflora), the tree was planted as a sapling in 1938, around the time that Duke Gardens was founded. As it grew, its low and sturdy branches proved irresistible to generations of youngsters intent on a challenge. In recent years, the tree has continued to produce fragrant white flowers in May and June and red seed pods in the fall, but gardens staff also have noticed a steady decline. Now, all its leaves are brown and many limbs have fallen off. Workers erected a sign around the tree a few years ago, asking people to refrain from climbing it, but on more than one occasion the sign was torn down. A new sign recently was posted that explains why the tree is dying. "We're trying to use this as a teaching opportunity," Jenkins said. Meanwhile, gardens staff have chained off another tree, the Dawn Redwood, which is among the rarest in the gardens. The Dawn Redwood was thought to be extinct until a specimen was found in China in 1941. Duke's is one of the original trees grown from seed collected from the rediscovered specimen. The life expectancy for magnolia trees varies, but they are known to live more than 100 years, Jenkins said. Gardens staff expect to remove the tree this summer, and it's not clear at this point what plantings might replace it.
