Copper Beech Elementary School to Honor its “ElemenTree” with Week-long Arbor Day Celebration

Celebration will Culminate with the Planting of a New Copper Beech Tree

Photo taken in 2012, courtesy of the Abington Township Shade Tree Commission.

Copper Beech Elementary School in Abington School District is observing Earth Day by announcing plans for a week-long celebration honoring its namesake Copper Beech “ElemenTree”, which has stood on the grounds of the school for more than a century. The celebration will kick off on Arbor Day, April 30th, and will culminate with the planting of a new European Copper Beech tree in front of the school a week later. 

Copper Beech Elementary School Principal, Ms. Fatima Rogers, announced to families in a letter this morning that due to the deteriorating condition of the old Copper Beech tree, it must be removed from the property for safety reasons. Despite the District’s efforts to save the tree for several years, its health has continued to decline, which has created a potentially hazardous situation on the property. Abington School District’s contracted arborist, as well as an arborist from the Abington Township Shade Tree Commission, determined that a number of factors have contributed to the tree’s decline over time, though ultimately, its inability to regrow was the result of Bleeding Canker, a fungal disease that the tree has been battling since as early as 2015. Bleeding Canker inhabits soil and attacks the tree through its roots, killing living tissue just beneath the bark. 

“While we are sad to say goodbye to our Copper Beech tree, I look forward to the educational and creative opportunities tied to the celebration of its life,” Ms. Rogers said, announcing an art contest for students to design a creative piece or item of furniture that can be built as a way to repurpose the beechwood. The selected design would give new life to the Copper Beech tree and would be displayed/utilized inside or outside the school building as a way for its legacy to continue as a Heritage Tree among the school community. 

To help students better understand the lifecycle of a tree, the differences between native and non-native species, and the importance of upcycling, Briar Bush Nature Center will kick off the Arbor Day activities with a special virtual assembly the morning of April 30th. The contest will be announced to students following the assembly. 

Copper Beech Elementary School opened its doors in 2002 and was named after the old tree that stood on its property. Although the tree species is not native to our area, several other European Copper Beech trees have been planted on the school grounds since then, with another set to be planted as a culminating activity of the school’s week-long Arbor Day celebrations on Friday, May 7th. The plan is for the new tree to grow in front of the building, facing Easton Road, where–just like the old tree–it can be enjoyed by the community and passersby. 

For more information about the efforts to save the Copper Beech tree, and how the school community will celebrate its legacy, please read the following FAQ document.