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Southern pecan tree cut down in Milton to make way for Royal Farms

Madeleine Overturf
Madeleine Overturf
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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Jan 8, 2026
22 hrs ago

MILTON, Del. — A towering Southern pecan tree that had stood for decades at the intersection of Route 16 and Union Street in Milton has been torn down, clearing the site for a new Royal Farms gas station.

The removal of the tree sparked passionate community pushback in recent weeks, with dozens of people protesting in November to save what many believed was a more than 100-year-old natural landmark.

However, the man tasked with cutting it down, Doug Simpson of Bridgeville, said the tree wasn’t quite as old as people had thought.

“We had some slow years right here, we had some rapid growth out here,” Simpson explained, investigating the inside of the tree. "It’s tickling between 80 and 100 years old.”

Despite its slightly younger age, the tree held significance for locals and environmental advocates alike. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control previously confirmed that the Milton pecan was the tallest of its kind in the state — rising more than 100 feet — and one of just a few Southern pecan trees known to grow in Sussex County.

While Royal Farms confirmed plans to remove the tree last month, the company said efforts were being made to preserve part of it. The trunk will be donated to the Milton Historical Society, and three new pecan trees will be planted nearby “to continue that legacy,” the company stated.

Simpson said the wood will not go to waste. It will be repurposed for furniture and other uses.

Madeleine Overturf

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.