A large pine tree on the Pitzer College Mounds fell down Sunday afternoon, crushing the quad’s popular slackline and narrowly missing the colorful chairs on the grass. The fallen pine lay sprawled across the sidewalk next to the Brant Clock Tower, scattering pine cones across the pavement while two hawks circled above.
The pine appeared healthy, and the cause of the incident is unclear, although there were moderate gusts of about 15 miles per hour blowing during the incident. The fall elicited a cracking sound, followed by a loud crash upon impact. No one was injured.
The pine, located at the top of the Mounds, missed the four surrounding trees as it fell to the northeast. Its roots were ripped out of the ground and the smell of pine needles filled the air.
Campus Safety officers arrived shortly after the fall to assess the damage and block off the area with caution tape. They told TSL that a maintenance crew would begin cleaning up the debris on Monday.
Root failure was believed to have led to an unexpected tree fall outside Pomona College’s Frary Dining Hall in 2014, injuring four students.
