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GREENSBORO — It’s one of the wonders of suburban Greensboro: the majestic rows of oaks that form a leaf canopy over a few blocks of Lawndale Drive, an oasis among strip-mall suburbia.

It’s also one of the city’s most endangered landmarks.

The trees, planted more than 75 years ago on what was once farmland, are approaching the end of their life expectancy.

In recent months, big limbs have fallen or been hacked off. In some spots, the rows have conspicuous gaps, like missing teeth, where big trees have been removed.

Traffic is heavy, and the area has been eyed for redevelopment in recent years, a move that could mean removing more of the oaks.

That’s something residents don’t want to see.

“It is one of the landmarks of Greensboro,” said Anne Hummel, who lives in a neighborhood a few blocks off Lawndale. “The trees are magnificent. We need to preserve them.”

There’s no question that the trees are vulnerable.

Residents say the trees are willow oaks, which grow rapidly but have much shorter life spans than some other oak species.

The Lawndale oaks apparently were planted in the 1920s or 1930s as part of the entrance to a farm that later became subdivisions. Over time, they grew up and over the street, creating the appearance of a giant outdoor room.

But their age is showing. Some are no more than shadows of their former selves.

“There’s been lightning strikes, there’s been storm damage. We’ve lost some in recent years,” Hummel said.

For residents, the prospect of seeing the trees go is unpleasant.

Ed Stephens, who lives nearby in the Kirkwood neighborhood, said they differentiate the area from newer developments on the city’s fringes.

The houses elsewhere might be nice, but the trees don’t compare.

“That’s something you can’t get everywhere,” he said. “When you go into a new neighborhood, that’s one thing you don’t have.”

Some of the benefits are intangible — but real.

“When you drive through there you know you’re in a neighborhood. The trees are very sheltering,” Hummel said. “They give you a breath of relaxation.”

There are steps that can be taken to preserve that feel.

Mike Cusimano, Greensboro’s urban forester, said the neighborhood could bring in an arborist to take a look. Soil samples could reveal whether nutrients are lacking. Some trees could benefit from pruning — dead limbs can host disease or insects that can be fatal for a tree.

The trees won’t live forever, but those steps could at least extend their life, he said.

Cusimano said that Lawndale Drive isn’t the only place where “overmature” trees are an issue.

Many older neighborhoods that feature stunning urban forests are home to many trees nearing the end of their life spans.

Those situations illustrate the need to replenish the city’s tree population.

“They, like people, eventually die,” he said. “People need to think about that.”

Benjamin Briggs, executive director of Preservation Greensboro, said that historic landscapes can be fragile and fleeting.

They can’t necessarily be preserved like a house — the best that can be done is to ensure that the spirit of the landscape lives on in plans for the future.

One answer is tree banking, which is exactly as it sounds: making an investment now that you might not realize for some time. In this case, that would mean planting new trees alongside the older ones.

That’s not a quick fix. In fact, current residents might not realize the benefits at all — their grandchildren might.

But that’s OK, tree lovers say.

Briggs uses a quote to make his case.

“The true meaning of life is to plant a tree under whose shade you do not expect to sit,” he said.

“If in 2009 we plant trees on Lawndale Drive, we don’t expect to sit under the shade of those trees. Fifty years from now, people will.”

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or at jason.hardin@news-record.com