Miss Jane Pittman Oak spared

• By ROY PITCHFORD
• Advocate Westside bureau
• Published: Jul 22, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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LAKELAND — The 400-year-old live oak popularly known as the Miss Jane Pittman Oak no longer is in danger of a death sentence.

A 27-foot limb weighing more than a ton fell from the tree on the morning of July 4, and Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development personnel immediately became concerned.

They wondered if it was likely that another large limb might fall on a passing motorist, or block the highway after a storm. The tree sits on the right of way of La. 416.

Pointe Coupee Parish Police Jury President Melanie Bueche, who lives 150 feet from the tree, said she was heartbroken at the thought it might be cut down.

Many people who have read the writing of former Pointe Coupee Parish resident Earnest Gaines knew he drew inspiration for some of his works while sitting under the tree.

And Gaines’ readers imagined that this was the tree that the fictional character Jane Pittman passed under in the book, “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.”

DOTD and Bueche agreed to have the tree examined by Tom Campbell of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Campbell arrived in Lakeland Monday and did a thorough examination.

“My recommendation to DOTD was that the tree not be removed,” Campbell said Monday afternoon. “There is some deadwood that needs to be removed.”

Campbell said the huge limb that fell had a “defect known as included bark.” The other big limbs do not have that defect, he said.

But Campbell said he had one caution.

“The tree is a living thing, and living things only live so long,” he said.