Threatened by the impending Grand Bayou levee project, the fate of a more than 300-year-old cypress tree in Des Allemands took a step in the right direction at Monday’s Council meeting.
At Councilman Billy Woodruff’s prompting about its status, parish Public Works Director Clayton “Snookie” Faucheux announced the tree that bears a placard saying it’s been alive since 1803 will not go under the blade.
“I’m glad to see it’s going to stay,” Woodruff said. “If there was anything at all possible, I hoped it could stay.”Faucheux said the parish is working with state legislators to recognize it and bring attention to its significance.
“We have also collaborated with other agencies, including the Lafourche Basin Levee District, to recognize the significance of the cypress tree and the need to preserve it. The decision was made by Public Works to remove the cypress tree from the levee footprint.”
Described as a “historical treasure,” property owner Murray Dufrene said the tree stands as a natural, historic monument in his backyard and warranted saving. The tree could actually be closer to 400 years old depending on further assessment of its age.
But it also rests halfway on the proposed servitude being sought for the highly desired levee project, which is also a component of St. Charles Parish’s West Bank Hurricane Protection Levee.
Dufrene confirmed the tree and area it rested on had been removed from the land to be expropriated for levee servitude, which he considers a good move toward protecting the tree. But he added that he has nothing in writing stating this. [pullquote]“They can’t guarantee me that the tree will stay. I’m still a long
way from being comfortable.” — Murray Dufrene[/pullquote]
“They can’t guarantee me that the tree will stay,” he said. “I’m still a long way from being comfortable. I don’t think it’s over. I wish and pray it would be, but I don’t think so yet.”
The Lafourche Levee Basin District, which also has a say in the tree’s future, has not commented either way on how it stands on the tree, Dufrene said.
Although he initiated a campaign last year to save the tree, he also acknowledged a need for the levee and asked the parish to consider options that might also save the tree that stands near Paradis Canal and Grand Bayou at the toe of the existing levee. Standing at an estimated 70 feet tall and about 14 feet in diameter, he was told the tree would have to be cut to meet FEMA standards.
In October of last year, Woodruff visited the site, confirmed the historic placard and also became an advocate for the tree.
It was a welcome turn for Dufrene who had initiated a campaign to save it and was convinced that signing the parish’s requested perpetual servitude for the levee would also doom what he considered a historic treasure.
Harvey Stern, coordinator with the Louisiana Purchase Cypress Legacy, said it is “likely one of the oldest living cypress in St. Charles Parish” based on the organization’s core ring sample taken in 2010. The sampling put its age at more than 300 years old. Stern also said he believed this tree would easily qualify as a “tree of value” under Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) provisions to safeguard recognized trees (by age, size and cultural significance).
Parish County Agent Rene’ Schmit also appealed to the parish officials, describing it as “absolutely one of the most unusual, impressive and stately trees to exist in Louisiana.” Schmit added there are only a handful of aged cypress trees left in the state.
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