Largest White Oak Tree in MoCo Set For Removal This Week

Update (Postponed): Ailing historic tree expected to come down later this summer. Montgomery Parks has postponed plans to remove the historic Linden White Oak tree until later this summer. The removal is on hold pending a Historic Area Work Permit.

Montgomery Park’s Linden Oak, the largest white oak in Montgomery County, will be removed this week. The removal of the 300-year-old tree will take place on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 from 9 a.m.-Noon at Rock Creek Park (located at the intersection of Beach Drive, Grosvenor Lane and Rockville Pike).

The Linden White Oak is located at the intersection of Beach Drive, Grosvenor Lane and Rockville Pike (MD Route 355). During the tree removal, all those roads will remain open, but the connector road from Rockville Pike to Beach Drive will be closed. The Linden Oak is estimated to be more than 300 years old. It has been in declining health for several years. Montgomery Parks is removing the tree before it falls and saving the usable wood for a future artwork or bench for a nearby park.  

The Linden Oak’s trunk will be left in place as a memorial, along with two existing plaques. One plaque commemorates the Linden Oak being named a bicentennial tree in 1976, for surviving the American Revolution. The other plaque recognizes the efforts of local citizens to save the tree from destruction during Metro construction in the 1970’s.

Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.