"SEC Weekly" recently aired a special on ESPNU showcasing the Toomer's oak seedlings.
Since 2002, seedlings have been sold to all who are interested, but this year the requests are far exceeding the supply.
From the 5,000 current requests, the forestry department will only be able to sell 700 seedlings.
Russel Agnew, head coordinator for the project and sophomore in forestry, said the location of the orchard where the seedlings are harvested must be kept a secret.
"I can't tell you that (the location)," Agnew said. "Since the whole poisoning thing, they've gotten valuable. If I tell you, people will go there and try to find them. We've had to change it up and not tell people where they are."
Scott Enebak, forestry professor and director of the nursery management cooperative, said 700 seedlings have been sold every year since 2003.
After the infamous poisoning of Toomer's oaks, though, seedling demand increased to 5,895 requests.
"In September, we only collected the typical amount," Enabak said. "The demand was greater than what we prepared or collected for, and we wouldn't have space in the greenhouse to grow 5,000 seedlings."
Whether the lottery occurs, Enebak said, depends on the status of the trees.
"The acorns from the tree are hanging on," Enebak said. "We'll collect more than we collected last year. Those who won't get a tree this year will get on the list next year."
We'll always collect the acorns as long as trees are alive and the demand is greater than the supply so that everyone gets a tree."
Enebak said he understands not everyone who requested a tree will get one this year.
"We have 600 trees," Enebak said. "The website will give us 600 names (of people who registered online) randomly, and we'll contact those people by email and ask if they're still interested."
Enebak said those distributing the seedlings will ask for the lottery winner's name, address and shipping information.
The $100 purchase of any seedling is considered a tax-deductible donation to the forestry scholarship program, where the proceeds from seedlings are allocated.
The Toomer's Oaks Program was first initiated in 2002 by students in the Forestry Club, the Wildlife Society and Xi Sigma Pi forestry honor society to finance club activities, with the goal of preserving the species of trees in hopes of one day replacing the oaks.
This last goal was fueled by the trees' decrepit conditions commonly known around the late '90s. Damage from power washers during toilet paper cleaning, along with other incidents including a drunk driving collision and a toilet paper propelled fire, created considerable attention toward the Auburn landmark. Limited root space because of city development also raised concerns for the trees' overall health.
Any Auburn student and fan is well aware of what Toomer's oaks are, but none seem to know the origin of the trees.
"No one knows why the trees were planted," Enebak said. "The oldest pictures were found in 1910, in which the trees look to be about 20 years old."
Enebak also said new photos indicate the trees are approximately 80-90 years old.
The importance of the trees didn't become relevant until the early '60s. Enebak said after victorious away games, toilet paper bearing the winning scores from telegrams received at Toomer's Drugstore, which had the only wireless service in the area at the time, was hung on trees.
The first rolling wasn't on the tree, but instead on power and telephone lines. After the city moved power and telephone lines underground, the rolling concentrated more on the oaks.
Eventually, a mature oak will be transported from the unknown orchard to the corner. Regardless of what may happen to the oaks, the tradition of Toomer's will continue on.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
