Hackleman Oaks: Hasso Hering’s Mystery Tree

Some time last week, an Albany oak tree succumbed to weather and age. The tree leaned and died.

It leaned on the brick wall between Lowe’s home improvement center and the Periwinkle Bikepath extension.

That wall, frequently targeted by graffiti and repeatedly cleaned, demonstrated its strength. It held the heavy branches of the old oak.

I first learned about this on Wednesday from Bill Kapaun, a fellow cyclist who frequently enough comments here. I visited the site on Friday and found the bike path blocked by parks department barricades and caution tape.

I returned Sunday afternoon. Someone had torn the tape and moved the barricades, but the oak’s branches still hung over the path.

The tree was likely already dead when it fell. I broke off a twig Sunday,and it was brittle.