Death of 125-year-old tree mourned in Berkeley

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- People in one neighborhood are mourning the impending loss of a familiar sight, that's been there since before they were born.

ABC7 News was on Russell Street in Berkeley after people wrote tributes to a pine tree that's graced the block for more than a century.

It appears the tree has died, and now people are sharing fond memories.

"A lot of the people in the neighborhood actually grew up with this tree and there used to be, long before I lived here, a tree swing," said Berkeley resident Adam Gutride. "So some of the children played on the swing. People are sad to see it go. Change is hard. And it's always sad when something that's been around for a long time dies. And hopefully we'll have something beautiful coming."

A local historian believes the tree is about 125 years old.

This type of pine rarely lives past 100 years.