Lakeview lost one grand old lady with the demolition of the Lakeview Generating Station, and it is about to lose another.
The once-magnificent American beech tree that was used as a benchmark when the first-ever survey of Peel was done in the first two years of the 1800s, is on its last legs.
Located on the lakefront estate once owned by the late, renowned Canadian architect Anthony Adamson, the former reeve of Toronto Township, the beech has experienced a difficult last few years.
Instead of being allowed to spend those years enjoying its magnificent view of the waterfront, the tree has been forced to fend off vandals, the ravages of age and drought.
In May 2005, someone lit a fire in the large cavity which has developed at its base. That likely would have been the end of it right there, if not for the quick action of Mississauga firefighters.
City arborists put a beautiful wrought-iron fence around the tree after that, to keep people back. They have been keeping a watchful eye ever since.
Staff recently were forced to trim more branches to preserve its core stability says Frank Buckley, manager of parks for the City’s south district, in an attempt to keep the tree going as long as possible.
But it is quite evident that it is coming to the end of its life cycle and will succumb sooner or later. Probably sooner given the drought conditions of the past few years which have, “had a horrendous effect on the trees across the City,” says Buckley.
The beech has been trimmed so often because of fears that its branches might come down that it has taken on a rather lopsided look.
This week there was a changing of the guard on the site. As Mississauga News photographer Rob Beintema documents in the photos above and below, City workers planted a young beech, about 70 mm. in thickness, nearby.
When the inevitable happens, there will now be a new young, sturdy replacement ready to emerge from the shadow of its predecessor.
“It’s a way of acknowledging the existence of this original tree,” says Buckley.
Unfortunately, the beech may not be around long enough to make it onto the candidate list of “heritage trees” that forestry staff is developing for council’s consideration.
Given the decimating swath that Hydro One crews have recently cut across their southerly right-of-way in Mississauga, maybe they should be invited down to the Adamson Estate to show how a 200-year-old tree can be respected.
