STANDING TALL
Penn’s Oak tree protected by farm preservation
NORTH COVENTRY » An oak tree that was standing when William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 will be protected as the result of a long-pursued preservation effort.
A conservation easement on the 10acre Great Oak Farm off St. Peter’s Road on which the tree stands was announced at a recent township supervisors meeting.
Chris Washburn, who chairs the townships’ open space review board, said it is the only tree registered in the township and is the inspiration for the township’s logo.
In 1932, during the 250th anniversary of Pennsylvania’s founding, a Philadelphia science teacher set out to identify and document surviving “Penn’s trees,” specimens that were alive when the colony was occupied by European settlers.
In 1977, the Penn Tree Committee updated the list, identifying 130 trees they believed were at least 300 years old. The white oak tree on the Boyd’s property is one such survivor, now among only 100 believed to remain.
The property also includes a historical home, that is currently being renovated, as well as tributaries of Pigeon Creek, which is listed by the state as a “high quality stream,” Washburn told the supervisors.
Another advantage of the longsought preservation effort, Washburn said, is that the farm is adjacent to the 702-acre Coventry Woods forest park already preserved by the township, and is also adjacent to the Great Oak Trail.
The preservation was accomplished on July 15 through a legal vehicle called a “conservation easement,” in which the owners essentially sell the development rights in perpetuity. The conservation easement will be held by the non-profit conservation group Natural Lands.
It cost a total of $150,000 — $130,000 of which came from the township’s open space fund. Chester County’s Northern Conservation Initiative Program provided the remainder of the funding needed.
“Almost every year it has been designated by the township for a conser
“When we purchased the Great Oak Farm in 2018, my husband and I knew we had come across something very special, so when we were approached with the idea of a conservation easement we jumped at the opportunity.”
— Property owner Jessica NeffBoyd
vation easement, Washburn said.
“When we purchased the Great Oak Farm in 2018, my husband and I knew we had come across something very special, so when we were approached with the idea of a conservation easement we jumped at the opportunity,” property owner Jessica Neff-Boyd said in a press release posted on the township website.
“After buying the property, we learned about the connections of this land to the Lenape Native American Tribe, how the original deed was held by the Penn family, and all about
the oak tree.” she said.
“I hope that conserving our property with Natural Lands will further both historical and open space local preservation efforts,” said Sean Boyd. “Perhaps the biggest benefit of all will be spreading the importance of conserving these natural areas so that our children and their children will be able to enjoy them.”
“Every successful conservation project starts with property owners that make a choice to preserve their land,” said Natural Lands President Oliver Bass.
“We are grateful to the Boyd family for making this choice. The conservation easement on Great Oak Farm will ensure this 10acre property, which connects
to a larger network of open space in the region, will remain natural, beautiful, and ecologically beneficial forever,” Bass said.
A statement issued to Natural Lands on behalf of Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline said, “Great Oak Farm is exactly the type of property that our Northern Conservation Initiative was designed to support, and we are pleased to be part of this important preservation partnership. We thank Sean and Jessica Boyd for their incredible commitment to preserving lands that have such great environmental and historical value, which contribute to Chester County’s ‘quality of place’.”