In Cherokee Park, near the intersection of the Scenic Loop and Barney Avenue, there is a tulip tree that dwarfs its neighbors. The trunk is easily four times the width of nearby trees, but why?
This tree is believed to be one of the rare survivors of the 1974 tornado. According to the National Weather Service, in a 16-hour period on April 3-4, 148 tornadoes touched down in 13 states. The tornado that ripped through Cherokee Park on April 3 destroyed 80% of the park’s tree canopy.
The surviving tulip tree offers a glimpse of what the park’s natural areas might look like today if not for the significant natural disaster. The forest would have older, larger mature trees. The dense tree canopy would likely have slowed the spread of invasive honeysuckle. The combination of new sunlight following the loss of the trees, as well as the disturbance (root masses pulled out of the ground, essentially tilling the soil) and the lack of a comprehensive management plan in response all contributed to honeysuckle taking over the park.
Cherokee Park neighbors would not let Cherokee Park fall into ruin after the storm. Olmsted Parks Conservancy started as a group of concerned citizens – “Friends of Olmsted Parks” and was formalized by Mayor Abramson in 1989 to restore, enhance and protect the entire Olmsted Park System. The Team for Healthy Parks was specifically created to promote biodiversity and they continue to mitigate honeysuckle and other invasive species today.
The large survivor tulip tree is located near the Wildflower Woods trail. You can visit the trail this spring and see both the historic tree and a variety of native ephemeral plants that thrive thanks to the work of Olmsted Parks Conservancy’s Team for Healthy Parks.
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