BETHEL — The 60-foot tall red maple tree that functioned as a landmark and a makeshift message board for nearly half a million concert goers at the original 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Festival has been reluctantly felled Wednesday. 

“For nearly a decade, the tree has been in decline,” said Bethel Woods’ CEO, Eric Frances, “and despite our best efforts to prolong its life, experts deemed the once majestic red maple had very low structural integrity and was in danger of falling.”

According to Frances, the tree was subject to various grafting practices in anticipation of the day to ensure the offspring of the storied wood could continue to live on.

“For most of us, it’s hard to imagine a time without instant access to communication. The Message Tree embodied the spirit of freedom, peace, and togetherness that defined the Woodstock phenomenon,” the CEO said.

The base of the 100-plus year old sickly tree was famous for its countless letters, messages, offerings of peace and love over that historic weekend. 

“The tree functioned as a bulletin board or modern-day group text with improvised notes on paper plates, signs on scraps of paper and cardboard, made by friends and strangers hoping to reunite.” 

And reunite they did, for 55 years following the three-day festival, the tree had sat on the corners of Hurd Road and West Shore Road, welcoming hundreds of thousands of concert goers every summer to participate in the celebration of live music since Bethel Woods Center for the Arts’ opening in 2008. 

“It took less than an hour to safely remove the tree,” said Joshua Cunningham, Grounds Superintendent. “If this were any other tree, it would have been taken down a decade ago.”

Just across the road is the original Woodstock field, where music legends like Jimi Hendrix, Richie Havens, the Grateful Dead, Arlo Guthrie, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the Who, all shared the stage in the name of peace and love, a motto that remains at the pinnacle of the modern convert venue’s mantra today. 

The monument that was set there in 1984 is still open to visitors, and the Museum at Bethel Woods boasts a collection of some of the original messages attached to the tree over 5.5 decades ago.

Additionally, Bethel Woods will host a regenerative planting ceremony, inviting the community to join in honoring the tree’s legacy and celebrating the message of peace that it has come to symbolize. The date for this event is yet to be announced officially.

“In the meantime, Bethel Woods is calling on proposals from artists to create lasting works using the salvageable wood from the original Message Tree,” Frances said.Those interested can learn more about the tree’s history and how to submit an RFP at bethelwoodscenter.org/message-tree. Selected works will be exhibited as part of the Arts and Crafts of Woodstock exhibition at the Bethel Woods Museum in 2025.

“While none of us wanted to take down the Message Tree, we have been working for the last ten years to prolong its life and prepare for its afterlife. Our ultimate goal is to preserve the legacy of Woodstock for generations to come,” said Dr. Neal V. Hitch, Senior Curator for the Museum at Bethel Woods. 

“Rather than let the memory of the Message Tree fade away, we want to memorialize its significance by transforming its wood into works of art that will honor its history.”