POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: The Demolition of the 250-Year
The Claim In October 2026, a viral video and accompanying social media posts across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit claimed that the Trump administration ordered the destruction of a massive...
The Claim
In October 2026, a viral video and accompanying social media posts across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit claimed that the Trump administration ordered the destruction of a massive 250-year-old cottonwood tree, known as the ‘Grandmother Tree,’ in Lochiel, Arizona. The claim asserted that despite activists spending over two months sitting in the tree to protect the ecosystem, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) crews felled it to make way for the construction of the border wall.
Prominent political commentators, including Brian Tyler Cohen, amplified the narrative, suggesting the tree was actually 300 years old, dating back to the early 18th century. The viral content centered on footage of crews cutting down the tree amidst the screams of protesters, framing the event as a deliberate act of environmental destruction by the federal government.
The Details & Investigation
Investigative findings confirm that the Trump administration, through DHS, did indeed remove four large Fremont cottonwood trees in the Lochiel area to facilitate border wall construction. These trees were located within the Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot-wide strip of federal land established by Theodore Roosevelt in 1907. The first three trees were removed on July 27, 2026, by contractors from Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. The final tree, dubbed ‘Grandmother,’ was felled on October 5, 2026, following a two-month ‘tree sit’ by local activists which resulted in at least a dozen arrests.
The point of contention in the viral claim involves the specific age of the tree. While local activists and social media reports estimated the tree to be 250 to 300 years old, scientific analysis provides a more conservative timeline. Ceci Martinez, a graduate student at the University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, examined samples from the fourth tree. Her analysis placed the tree’s age at a maximum of 146 years. While 146 years signifies a significant and old specimen, it is nearly a century younger than the ‘250-year’ figure widely cited in viral reports.
In terms of misinformation analysis, this case falls under MISINFORMATION. While the core event—the removal of the old tree for the border wall—is a fact, the specific detail regarding the tree’s age appears to be an exaggeration or unintentional viral error. There is no evidence of a coordinated disinformation campaign to fabricate the age; rather, the figure likely grew through social media as the emotional weight of the event increased. The destruction of the tree is reality, but the ‘250-year’ label is not supported by primary biological data.
The Verdict
The claim that the Trump administration cut down a 250-year-old ‘grandmother’ tree is MOSTLY TRUE. While the government did fell a significant and old cottonwood tree for the border wall despite intense protest, scientific evidence indicates the tree was approximately 146 years old, not 250 or 300 years as claimed.
>Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
