Roger Geiger/Contributing Writer
March 2025 was a tragic time for those who appreciate the wonders of nature in East Texas as the iconic conjoined trees along Hwy 155 west of Avinger were cut down. In a curiosity seldom seen, these two trees shared a single, live, branch.
In February, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) started clearing the right of way between Lake O’ the Pines and Avinger. By March 6, TxDOT contractors had reached the trees.
I am a local naturalist so I made a point of checking on them. The trees plus the branch between them were well flagged with pink ribbon, and seemed to be near the outer edge of the right of way, so I had little fear for their continued existence. I was wrong.
Recently I returned to check on the conjoined trees and found they had been removed. I found remains of the pink flagging and a section from the trunk of one of the trees and a stump.
Spectrum is currently installing fiber optic cable along Hwy 155 and throughout Eagle Landing. Their subcontractor informed me that his company and others they hired had nothing to do with clearing of trees. “That,” he said, “was handled by TxDOT.”
TxDOT Mount Pleasant said they were working with two sub-contractors to clear the right of way along the highway and was not familiar with any reason why the trees would have been flagged or removed. The contractor doing the work also said they didn’t know why the trees were flagged, removed, or what happened to them. The contractor assumed “They must have been mulched with everything else.”
As of the writing of this commentary, all we are left with are a few facts, a few question, and a few suspicions. We still do not know why our wonder of nature was flagged for special attention and given special attention during its removal. I don’t suppose we ever will.