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'Bert The Tree' Headed For The Chipper

NPR
Published August 14, 2015 at 12:33 PM EDT
Students gather under "Bert" in support of keeping the bluff oak on the University of Florida campus. (Facebook)
Students gather under "Bert" in support of keeping the bluff oak on the University of Florida campus. (Facebook)

In Gainesville, Florida, a 200-year-old tree that students have named “Bert” appears to be slated for destruction.

The tree, which is one of the largest heritage bluff oaks in Florida, has become the focus of a debate between students and the University of Florida’s administration over plans to build a $50 million engineering building.

Here & Now’s Robin Young talks to Jason Smith, a professor of forest pathology who has been an active participant in the fight to save Bert.

Guest

  • Jason Smith, professor of forest pathology at the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources & Conservation.

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