In the summer of 1989, someone had tried to kill a beloved resident of Austin, Texas, and the people were demanding justice. The victim was barely clinging to life, as countless well-wishers sent get-well cards and cans of chicken soup. Who was this icon of Austin? A 600-year-old tree named Treaty Oak. And as the lone city forester valiantly tried to save the mighty oak’s life, the police were searching for the answer to the question: “Who would want to murder a tree?”

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