Celebrating the Triple Oak Tree at Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm
For generations, the triple oak tree has grown in quiet solitude. Rooting itself in an open field free of competition, the now famous red oak tree at Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm has had the luxury of stretching its boughs in every which way. Reaching her arms out to all since the 19th century, this arboreal matriarch has played host to generations of birds, insects and humans, too.
Most trees go about their lives in quiet service, but this year, the triple oak has taken center stage.
In February, the tree was shared with a national audience after featuring in the NBC series The Americas. The 10-episode docuseries highlights the natural splendor of the American supercontinent and is narrated by Tom Hanks and scored by Hans Zimmer. The red oak at Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm has three minutes of screen time in the series premiere that covers the Atlantic Coast.
So many people have been drawn to this tree. It has become a person — a person dressed in leaves.
“So many people have been drawn to this tree,” said Susie Feldman, a longtime resident of Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm in Athol. For Susie, who has called this land home since 1947, NBC’s production crew was just the latest in a long line of admirers. “We’ve seen a couple exchange vows beneath its branches, a number of nursery school classes scramble over its limbs, and countless hikers and photographers gather to take in its beauty. The tree has meant so much to so many people.” On the day we spoke with Susie, a photographer was setting up his equipment to capture the red oak tree at twilight. “The tree has become a person. A person dressed in leaves.”
A Tree Worthy of Recognition
The red oak (Quercus rubra) is one of North America’s most revered hardwoods and admired for its vibrant fall foliage. This hardwood provides food and shelter for a host of wildlife species and their acorns are a vital food source for many birds and mammals.
The red oak may be a common species of tree in Massachusetts, but the triple oak stands out, both in stature and in story. With a circumference of 285 inches, a height of 60 feet, and an awe-inspiring crown spread of 84 feet, it has earned a coveted place on the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Champion Tree list.
When Susie’s husband Ben Feldman heard about the DCR application, he eagerly submitted their red oak as a contender. “I thought, why not?” Ben said. “I filed an application and DCR came out to measure it.” As it turns out, that tree is currently the champion tree and is the largest measured red oak in the state of Massachusetts.
The triple oak is between 130 and 200 years old. In 2022, Harvard Forest cored the oak tree and got through 130 years, but there were a couple of inches left of growth on the tree, indicating an age older than that. “Because it's got three trunks that are twisted and contorted around one another, they couldn't get to the exact center,” said Susie.
Part of what makes the tree so unique is its twisted and sprawling shape. This arboreal titan has grown all its life in an open field, allowing its limbs to sprawl outward rather than ascend skyward like its forest-bound kin. The open field it calls home was likely a sheep pasture, and a farmer at one time likely left the tree to provide shade in the otherwise wide-open and exposed pasture. “Some trees in the forest can be just as old, but they won’t have that magnificent spread,” Susie told Mount Grace.
Filming The Americas
The premiere episode of The Americas focuses on the Atlantic Coast. When showcasing the natural beauty of the Northeast, New England’s stunning autumn foliage is often the first thing that comes to mind. As such, the production team of The Americas wanted to find one tree to tell the story of autumn in New England.
At first, they were on the hunt for a maple tree. Makes sense given their fiery fall spirit. But they also wanted a tree without any telephone lines, wires or houses around it. On top of that, the crew wanted a tree that stood out in the open to capture its essence in full – from trunk to crown. What’s more, they needed a tree with enough space between its branches to film fly-through drone shots. As it turns out, few trees in New England match that description. But the triple oak certainly did.
“They must have taken a thousand hours of video to get these three minutes and get them absolutely perfect,” Susie told us. To get their shots perfectly aligned between the seasons, the production crew meticulously marked the location of every leg of every tripod they set up.
“They even flew a photographer up from the Andes,” Ben told us with a chuckle. “One day you’re filming in the Andes mountains, the next day you're in Athol. That’s got to be quite the change of scenery!” Ben and Susie estimated that the production crew brought over 30 crates of equipment to their farm field.
Come See the Triple Oak at Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm
Cutthroat Brook Tree Farm is open to the public for hiking, nature watching, and horseback riding and parking is available in the parking lot on Briggs Road. The land is permanently protected thanks to a conservation restriction (CR) held by Mount Grace. In 2016, Ben and Susie Feldman worked with us to put a CR on 297 acres of their land, ensuring it’ll remain undeveloped forever.
If you’re looking across the open fields from the parking lot, the triple oak is impossible to miss. You can combine the short walk out to see the tree with any one of the short trails that pass by it.