Post photo by J. Reed.

Post photo by J. Reed.

By Judy Reed

High winds blew down a towering Norwegian Spruce in Elmwood Cemetery Monday afternoon.

Al Kensil, Assistant DPW Superintendent for Cedar Springs, was doing some work in the cemetery about 200 feet away from the tree, when he heard a loud CRACK! “I looked up just as it was hitting the ground,” he said.

The tree, which was estimated at 100-feet tall, was 109 years old, according to the rings. That means it would have been planted about 1903. “It was one of the bigger trees in the cemetery,” said Kensil. There are several other towering trees nearby.

The tree was located toward the front, on the south side of the cemetery. And while it fell on some tombstones, Kensil said none were damaged. “We might need a little restoration to the ground,” he said.

The trunk of the tree was 5-feet across, but was rotted in the middle. “It looked healthy, but the first 10-feet up was rotted,” explained Kensil. “With 35 mph winds, there was a lot of force.”

The DPW had the tree cleaned up within 24 hours.

The land for Elmwood Cemetery was purchased in 1871.