Grandfather Oak – Cut Down Sept 2021

One of the most beautiful oak trees in the park has been cut down. This tree, was probably a young tree when George Washington was born. Looking at the cut sections of the tree, the limbs and trunk appear healthy and without rot. The tree itself looked healthy and was given a A+ health rating just a couple of years ago by a County assessment of about 300 trees at the park.

Largest Oak in Flood Park

This grandfather tree was the largest oak at Flood Park and was promptly removed without notice or warning. By chance, a park visitor had seen a crew gathered around the tree and was informed that all trees in the park were being assessed and inventoried.

When we contacted the Parks Department, they confirmed the inventory assessment of trees and noted that this large oak would be removed in the coming weeks due to a fungus that was present on the roots: Chicken of the Woods fungus — Laetiporus gilbertsonni var. pallidus.

As the word spread, park advocates started to search for an arborist that could provide a 2nd assessment to see if this magnificent tree could be preserved; however, the Parks Department evidently accelerated the removal schedule and the tree was destroyed just days later, leaving no time for the 2nd arborist’s opinion.

County Parks provided the following PDF reports and information:



Flood Park's Largest Oak
Flood Park’s Largest Oak

Lack of Communication

This Grandfather tree might have been saved had County Parks notified the public and allowed an independent arborist a chance to evaluate the health and make recommendations.

We are asking Parks to keep the public notified of any planned work that impacts the parks use, its trees, or its amenities. Not just items associated with the Reimagine project, but also with the day to day care of the park.

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Grandfather Oak – Cut Down Sept 2021

The largest oak tree and oldest, was abruptly cut down at the end of September 2021. The public was not notified and did not have time to get an arborist to assess the tree. It had a health rating of A+ just a couple of years ago.

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Dating back to the 1870s, James C. Flood purchased about 600 acres in the area, soon to be Menlo Park. He was a saloon keeper in the early days of San Francisco and ended up making his fortune through mining.

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Please help spread the word about our community joining hands to insure Flood Park is preserved and that reasonable actions are taken to save it and extend it with the vacant school property next to it. Our future and our children’s future are at stake.

Thank You

The largest oak tree and oldest, was abruptly cut down at the end of September 2021. The public was not notified and did not have time to get an arborist to assess the tree. It had a health rating of A+ just a couple of years ago.