How old is the Oak Tree on Tasso Street?
This morning I took some photos of the oak tree across the street from our house at 2341 Tasso St in Palo Alto. Michael Goldeen, who lives in the house closest to the tree, told me that the tree is 300 years old. It’s possibly not quite that. People like to believe that big and beautiful trees are older than they really are. This evening I measured its circumference at a height 4 and 1/2 feet above the ground by wrapping string around it. I got a result of exactly 13 feet, which gives it a radius of about 25 inches. Assuming .2 inches growth per year—a figure I dug out as typical for an oak tree&151gives 125 years for the age (ie, planted 1877). Using another rule of thumb, that a tree grows an inch wider every three years, gives a result of 150 years (ie, 1852). Certainly its location, in the street, suggests it was already there (and presumably pretty big) when the street was created in the early 20th century. [Note added 30 September 2002]. I’ve investigated this further. 20 Aug
