SHERBURNE – Historic beauty gave way to futuristic functionality, according to an area businessman, when an ancient and rare Burr Oak was felled last week on the Sherburne-Earlville schools’ campus.

The large tree came down to make way for a new, geothermal heating and cooling system that is being installed for the schools as part of the district’s capital building project. The board of education approved the contractor’s bid just two weeks ago.

Doug Clark of Heartwood Forest Products estimated the tree’s age to be between 175 and 185 years old. The Burr oak, a member of the white oak family, is not indigenous to the area and was most likely brought to Sherburne by a second generation farm family, he said. It was 5 feet in diameter.

“I’m deeply saddened that so little effort was made to save this icon,” said Clark during a meeting of the board of education Monday night. “We’ve traded historic beauty for futuristic functionality. Perhaps they both can’t co-exist.”

Sherburne-Earlville Central School District Superintendent Gayle Hellert said the board began discussions about the tree’s fate back in 2007, and as recently as last spring asked for the public’s input to the school’s facilities committee. She said the board ultimately received the go-ahead to take it down, adding that pieces were saved for science projects and other instructional purposes.