(CNN) -- Someone put a toxic knife in the hearts of Auburn University football fans who learned Wednesday that the landmark live oaks at Toomer's Corner have been deliberately poisoned and may not survive. The university in eastern Alabama confirmed a herbicide commonly used to kill trees and brush was deliberately applied in lethal amounts to the soil around the two 130-year-old oaks on the edge of campus, next to downtown Auburn. "There is little chance to save the trees," the university said in a statement. Auburn University said it learned that a January 27 caller to "The Paul Finebaum Show" in Birmingham claimed to have applied the herbicide. As a precaution, 33 soil samples were taken the next day and were sent January 29. The expedited, final results that came back February 11 showed the levels as a "very lethal dose," according to the school. Crews quickly ordered activated charcoal to absorb the herbicide and block its progress, university spokesman Mike Clardy told CNN Wednesday evening. The caller claimed he poisoned the trees in late November or early December. For generations, fans of the orange and blue have thronged to the trees (named after a historic drugstore at the opposite corner of the intersection) after football victories, tossing toilet paper rolls across the tree's limbs. The latest celebration was after the Tigers defeated Oregon for the national championship on January 10. "It is the heartbeat of the place on weekends," said Clardy. Within 90 minutes of the press release going out, about 200 concerned students gathered at the oaks, throwing toilet paper and chanting school cheers. "It's a criminal act," city of Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson, a lifelong resident of the city, told CNN Wednesday evening. "It makes you sick to your stomach to what appears to be over a football game [for someone] to poison a living tree." Dawson was mum on details of the investigation, but said it was a top priority and he had assigned several detectives. He would not comment on whether there were any suspects, but did say there has been no arrests. His department also serves as the police force for the university. When asked about the call to the radio show, Dawson said, "I think it's something we want to look at." The website of the Paul Finebaum Radio Network on Wednesday posted the audio and transcript of the call from an "Al from Dadeville." "Let me tell you what I did the weekend after the Iron Bowl [the annual Auburn-University of Alabama game]. I went to Auburn, Alabama because I live 30 miles away," the caller said. "And I poisoned the two Toomer's trees." He indicated he used Spike 80DF. "They're not dead yet, but they definitely will die," the caller said, saying he didn't care if his actions were against the law. "Al" ended his call with "Roll Damn Tide," according to the show transcript. Auburn defeated Alabama 28-27 in Tuscaloosa on November 26, 2010. The university learned the herbicide is Spike 80DF, or tebuthiuron, and is manufactured by Dow Chemical. According to the Dow website, Spike is used for long-term brush and broadleaf weed control, notably along fence rows. It usually is applied by spraying. Auburn University, which maintains the oaks, does not use Spike, according to Clardy. A representative from Dow Chemical is advising the university on removal procedures, and expert horticulturalists are also being consulted, according to Auburn. Samples were sent out of state because of small fire that occurred at a lab on campus. Scott McElroy, an assistant professor of agronomy at Auburn, told "The Paul Finebaum Show" Wednesday that the herbicide has proper uses, but the application on the live oaks was "evil." According to Auburn, even a normal application is enough to kill the trees. "We are assessing the extent of the damage and proceeding as if we have a chance to save the trees," said Gary Keever, an Auburn University professor of horticulture and a member of Auburn's Tree Preservation Committee. "We are also focused on protecting the other trees and shrubs in Samford Park. At this level the impact could be much greater than just the oaks on the corner, as Spike moves through the soil to a wide area." University President Jay Gogue asked members of the Auburn Family to "continue to be 'All In' in upholding its reputation for class" and not allow anger to be expressed inappropriately, the university said. The Toomer's oaks have faced threats before, but nothing so lethal. In 2009, the university shored up their limbs, expanded their roots area and replaced brick with concrete so water would flow in a healthier manner, Clardy said. link: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/16/alabama.auburn.trees/index.html?hpt=C2
Damn, surprised it made it here. This act by a pathetic fan is fucked up, but I've already lost my sympathy for many Auburn fans. It was probably the cynics that made me snap, plotting severe retaliation(digging up graves) and acting like asshats in general when most Bama fans offered their condolences.
Oh, and he was caught at 1 AM... http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/how-investigators-harvey-almorn-updyke-the-man-who-poisoned-auburn-universitys-famous-oak-trees/
What a piece of shite.... It's one thing to resort to petty vandalism like maybe spray painting your teams logo on something on the Auburn Campus or something that teams have been doing for years but to poison trees that are basically living landmarks is pretty disgusting.
Holy crap... because of something that happened in 1983.... I'd venture 50% of the posters on this site weren't even born in 1983. Wow... how about you go band on Auburn coed and videotape it or something like that. Wow... some people take this shit way too seriously.
I can personally attest to this, don't fuck with the Bear. You can say whatever about their moms, but shit is on if you speak ill of the Bear. That's why I moved to Florida...
This guy should be required to replace the trees with the same type and close to same age! It would cost a fortune but he must make resitution. OH and get a forhead tatoo of U of Auburn logo
Wow, it's bad enough people in Alabama like to kill all types of animals, northerners, good taste, and the English language, now they're going after trees? Just horrible.
http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/index?id=6133271 The text of the Stanford Tree's emergency address to the nation, following the attacks on Toomer's Corner: Good evening, Last month, our fellow trees, our way of photosynthetic life, and our very freedom to provide both shade and a justification for leaf blowers came under a deliberate and premeditated attack. As you know, an Alabama man allegedly poured herbicide around the oak trees in Toomer's Corner at Auburn University. The victims were 130 years old, beloved by all, a thread in the fabric of campus life. They are our brothers and sisters -- our monoecious and dioecious siblings, if you will -- and their apparent poisoning has filled us with disbelief, sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. This wanton act of unprovoked anti-arboreal aggression will not stand. The attacks were in service of a hateful, rivalry-driven ideology. The threat of Roll Tideism is real. But make no mistake: It is not the way of trees. We are a peaceful lot. We are -- both literally and poetically -- giving. We provide shelter, kindling, an object to climb, a place for children's forts, raw material for building frames, props for professional wrestling, parquet floors for basketball, and fine paneling for both private jet interiors and ultra-posh locker rooms, both of which impress football recruits. And in return? We are deluged with man-made acid rain, hacked down with impunity in the Amazon and elsewhere, used and discarded at Christmas -- left to shrivel and rot, dusted with tinsel and broken dreams, on the world's curbs -- never consulted during global warming discussions -- hello? -- and appropriated for online lending endorsements without a single dime of compensation. And now this. For years, the brave oaks of Auburn suffered the indignity of being covered with toilet paper -- made from slain trees! -- following Auburn football victories. We did nothing. Said nothing. We are trees. We were pretty happy with the decline of newspapers and the rise of e-readers. But no longer. No more. Now, we rise. From this moment forward, we fight back with all of our might, with every resource at our disposal. Let the world hear us, loud and clear: The next time an acorn falls on your head, it won't be the result of gravity and bad timing. It will not be an accident. Tonight, we are all Toomer's Corner.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=6131518 I like it. Guy is an absolute scumbag. It's sad that these kinds of things happen and nothing can really be done to stop it. There are always enough crazies around... What, that guy?
I'm not going to lie, having lived in Alabama, and understanding the Tide fans' craziness, I at first thought it was funny because the man's reasoning was, and I quote, "because they put Cam Newton's jersey on the Bear (statue of Bear Bryant in T Town)." I also did not realize the extent of the amount of chemical this crazy hick used. This fuckin' guy used so much spike on those trees, it's in the ground water. My understanding is if consumed, similar effects as Agent Orange.
Auburn, sadly, lies in the more civilized half of the state. But I agree with you. All of Alabama's soil should've been salted years ago.
