He and senior supervisor for urban forestry Kevin Osmond were at the Public Gardens on Wednesday to give an update on the situation. A “girdled” tree in the Public Gardens. Historic trees, big trees, and rare trees were “hit hard,” and among the casualties are the 200-year-old beech and the gardens’ famous ginko tree. We’ll know in one or two years if the beech tree is dying, he says. That value was evident at the Public Gardens on Wednesday.