San Diego’s ‘Lorax Tree’ falls: 100-year-old cypress said to have inspired Dr Seuss’s famous children’s story about environmental destruction has toppled
- Officials say there’s ‘no definitive cause on why it fell’ after 100 years standing
- The tree in La Jolla, California was visible from Dr Seuss’s mountaintop home
- It’s said to have been the inspiration for the Truffula trees in the story, The Lorax
A century-old cypress tree said to have been the inspiration behind Dr Seuss’ famous story, The Lorax, has inexplicably fallen, local officials say.
The Monterey Cypress tree stood at Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla, California for roughly 80 to 100 years before it came down this weekend, according to CNN.
So far, it’s unclear what caused it to topple.
The tree became known as the ‘Lorax Tree’ after Dr Seuss published his children’s book of that name, reportedly creating his fictional Truffula trees based on the view from his mountaintop home.
A century-old cypress tree said to have been the inspiration behind Dr Seuss’ famous story, The Lorax, has inexplicably fallen, local officials say. The Monterey Cypress tree stood at Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla, California for roughly 80 to 100 years before it came down
Dr Seuss, real name Theodor Geisel, lived in La Jolla and penned his 1971 book amid his own growing discontent with development in the previously-tranquil area, according to the city’s website.
In The Lorax, the fate of the Truffula trees is threatened by the construction of a factory in their land.
‘Though much of the scenery in La Jolla is reminiscent of Seussian-style illustration, the trees in The Lorax are particularly notable,’ the website says.
‘They belong to the fictional Truffula species in the book, but the real-life inspiration is called the Monterey Cypress and unique to the California coast.’
The famous cypress tree managed to withstand the city’s development, but came down without warning at the end of last week.
Images of the site show it lying in a heap where it once stood, and most was removed by Friday.
Tim Graham from the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department told CNN there’s ‘no definitive cause on why it fell.’
The tree became known as the ‘Lorax Tree’ after Dr Seuss published his children’s book of that name, reportedly creating his fictional Truffula trees based on the view from his mountaintop home
The famous cypress tree managed to withstand the city’s development, but came down without warning at the end of last week
The remains of the trunk section are expected to be salvaged and repurposed, and the city plans to plant another in the area, the spokesman added.
The Montery Cypress is found only in California, and is considered to be a vulnerable species, though its population is currently stable, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
It thrives close to the coasts, and only grows naturally in Monterey County, though it is planted elsewhere all throughout the state.