Auburn oaks still hanging on

The ailing oaks at Toomer’s Corner are a mottled mix of yellow and brown these days, but experts say there’s still a chance the trees will be in good enough shape for Auburn football fans to roll them with toilet paper after wins this fall. It’s been about five months since school officials confirmed that the famous trees had been poisoned, and fan of archrival Alabama is now awaiting trial in the attack. Emergency procedures that included removing poisoned dirt around the trees’ roots have helped them survive this long. Auburn University horticulturist Gary Keever said no one is sure yet whether the trees will live or die. Fans have celebrated wins under the trees since at least the early 1970s.

“I don’t want to give a sense of false hope, but we’re not ready to say they’re definitely not going to make it,” said Keever.
Each is surrounded by a metal barricade with white signs in red letters that read “PLEASE DO NOT ROLL TREES,” and they get water every other day. Workers remove fallen leaves because tests have shown they are laced with herbicide.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the trees are still alive this fall that fans are allowed to roll them and celebrate in the traditional manner,” he said. In town for a visit, high school student Katy Reynolds of Hoover stopped to take a photo of the trees. “It’s so sad,” said Reynolds. “I’m an Alabama fan, but it’s so stupid that somebody would do this,” said Reynolds’ friend Cory Abercrombie.

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