The California tree that was thought to have inspired Dr. Seuss鈥檚 environmental degradation children鈥檚 book 鈥淭he Lorax鈥� has fallen.
The Monterey cypress was estimated to be , according to a spokesman for the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department who spoke to CNN. He said there was no conclusive reason for the fall, which occurred last Thursday in La Jolla, Calif.
Seuss and could see the tree -- the lone cypress in Scripps Park -- from his building. It has long been considered the inspiration for 鈥淭he Lorax,鈥� which Seuss published in 1971.
He died in the town 20 years later at the age of 87.
The book, which was adapted into a 1972 TV special and a 2012 animated film, was a fable dealing with the effects of greed on the environment. A character named the 鈥淥nce-ler鈥� shares the story of how he found a valley of colourful 鈥淭ruffula trees鈥� and began cutting them down for business. The Lorax comes out of one of the stumps to 鈥渟peak for the trees.鈥�
鈥淚 am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues,鈥� he says. The Once-ler eventually razes the entire valley and it becomes a polluted wasteland.
The tree has been removed from the park, but the San Diego Parks spokesman told CNN a replacement tree will be planted in the area and the hope is to repurpose the trunk of the Lorax tree.
