Pecan Tree

Kevin Fleming is a concerned citizen and wants the tree to stay. He says the tree is over 100 years and should be preserved even if they build the Royal Farms at that location.

MILTON, Del. — A more than 100-year-old Southern Pecan tree in Milton will be torn down to make way for a new Royal Farms gas station, company officials confirmed.

Royal Farms said while the towering tree will be removed, its trunk will be preserved and donated to the Milton Historical Society. 

The tree, which stands at the corner of State Route 16 and Union Street Extension, has become the center of a growing movement. Over the weekend, about 40 people gathered at the site, calling for the tree’s preservation. 

According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the Milton pecan tree is the tallest of its kind in the state — over 100 feet tall — and one of only a few known to grow in Sussex County. 

Royal Farms has not announced a specific date for when the tree will be removed. Royal Farms also has a plan to plant three new pecan trees in the area to "continue that legacy." 

Despite the planned donation of the tree’s trunk, organizers of the petition say that preserving a portion of the tree is not enough — and that they want the entire tree saved. 

"They could have a landmark. They would have a landmark if they kept our heritage alive," says petition organizer Kevin Fleming. "Three seedlings does not equal this tree. We don't want to save a chunk of it. We want to save the whole thing."

Fleming says hundreds of people have signed a petition to save the tree, and copies have been sent to Delaware's Governor and Royal Farms' CEO.

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Evening Broadcast Journalist

Madeleine has been with Draper Media since 2016, when she first worked as Sussex County Bureau Chief. She helped launch the rebranded CoastTV in 2019. As co-anchor of CoastTV News at 5 and 6, Maddie helps organize the evening newscasts and performs managerial responsibilities such as helping find and assign stories, approving scripts, and making content decisions.

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