Original tree was removed after cracking from lightning strike
Students may notice a new addition to the Horseshoe the next time they pass through.
USC arborist Kevin Curtis and his crew spent Wednesday planting a large live oak in its new home on the Horseshoe across from the patio behind the Osborne Administration building where three brick paths converge.
The 20-foot oak replaces an oak that was estimated to be nearly 150 years old, then the oldest tree on campus.
The original tree was stuck by lightning more than five years ago and suffered from continued cracking. It was removed because of concerns for pedestrian safety.
The new tree, which measures 10 inches in diameter, will spread more than 16 feet across. It arrived from Orangeburg’s Shady Grove Nursery Wednesday morning, and Curtis and his crew spent most of the day planting it with the help of a mechanical tree spade.
This oak is one of 1,200 trees the university has planted in the last year. The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized USC’s efforts by naming it Tree Campus USA school for four consecutive years.