Pictured (L to R): DNR Acting Director Bruce Trautman, DNR Urban Forestry Program Coordinator Gabriele Edwards, Science Center of Iowa’s Mark Runkel, Jon Runkel, Science Center of Iowa’s Mark Rouw, and DNR State Forester Jeff Goerndt
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently received an historic donation from the Science Center of Iowa, one of only two cross sections from a 440-year-old white oak tree. The nearly three-foot-wide section is from a white oak tree that was located along the Des Moines River north of Hartford, in northeast Warren County. “These cross sections are pretty special and unique,” says Mark Rouw of the Science Center of Iowa. “There is only one other species of tree in Iowa that has been found to surpass the age of this white oak.” After the pieces were harvested, they were sent to a saw mill to be sanded down. Wood stabilizer was applied several times and then they went through a four-year drying process. A custom band and stand were handmade for the display. “We are looking forward to incorporating several educational pieces to the display in the near future,” says Emma Hanigan, DNR urban forester. “We are excited to share this piece of history with Iowans.” The cross section will be on permanent display in the atrium of the Wallace State Office Building in Des Moines and can be viewed on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.