Deep roots: Several Peters Township trees have stood for more than a century
The Peters Township home where Dr. Joseph Falbo lives was constructed in 1795, and he was recently “shocked” to learn that two trees on the property may be as old as the house itself.
A pair of ginkgo trees form a sort of natural gateway to the front of Falbo’s home on Bebout Road. The trees, along with other natural features, provide a good deal of privacy, as the home is difficult to spot from the road.
Tom Sierzega is a friend of Falbo and asked if he could study the trees to determine their age.
“We were very happy to do so,” Falbo said.
Sierzega sits on the Peters Township Environmental Quality Board, which embarked on a project to estimate the ages of some of the oldest trees in the area. They have identified the approximate ages of 15 trees, all on the property of township residents.
“We’ve decided that some of these older trees, with all the development that is going on, it’s important to kind of save them and let people know they are here and the benefits they provide,” Sierzega said.
The process to study the township’s trees began prior to the pandemic, which put the project on hold.
“After COVID we started up again, and so now we’ve completed identifying the trees,” Sierzega said.
To figure out how old the trees are, Sierzega worked with Dr. Jason Kilgore, the chair of the biology department at Washington & Jefferson College. Kilgore came prepared with a formula and equipment to get the job done.
The ginkgos at Falbo’s home were determined to have been around since approximately 1795. The oldest tree they studied was a white oak along Kimber Drive that has survived since colonial times. Kilgore and Sierzega believe the tree was planted in approximately 1695.
The formula Kilgore used is to multiply the diameter of the tree by the tree’s “growth factor.” He explained that each species of tree has a different growth factor. A white oak, for example, has a growth factor of five. So a white oak that is 20 inches in diameter would be around a century old.
To determine diameter, Kilgore said they use diameter tape at breast height, 4 feet 5 inches, and measure the tree’s circumference.
The growth factor is also affected by the tree’s environment, and whether it gets enough sun and water. Kilgore said they could not take all these factors into consideration, but that the trees they studied were in good condition.
“Many of these trees were growing in an open location. They had grass around them,” Kilgore said.
Falbo is an optometrist and operates Family Eyecare North in Seven Fields, Butler County. He describes himself as a history lover, particularly American history. The age of the Bebout home was part of the appeal when he and his wife moved there in 1996.
According to Falbo, they have a Pennsylvania deed and a survey dated March 1785, when the property stretched across 393 acres. He notes that when the house was originally deeded it was actually in the territory of Virginia.
“The only original deeds were housed in the courthouse in Virginia, which unfortunately burned during the Civil War,” Falbo said.
The ginkgos always caught their eye, but Falbo was surprised to hear how old they actually are.
“I was really pleased to hear that they’ve been here that long, but a little surprised that they are that old. Because they do look so vibrant and healthy,” Falbo said.
Kilgore explained that these large species of trees are helpful to their environments. They capture significantly more carbon than smaller trees, and produce plenty of insects for birds.
“A large white oak produces thousands of larvae of many different species that birds can then consume,” Kilgore said.
To that end, Kilgore hopes that other communities take notes from Sierzega and start studying their own trees.
“I think what Tom is doing is novel and monumental because he is trying to convince landowners to save their trees. Their large trees have a lot of ecological value,” Kilgore said.