The Committee to Determine the Future of Rolling Toomer’s Corner’s recommendation to replace the trees at Toomer’s Corner with one or more large trees has been accepted by Auburn University president Dr. Jay Gogue, said AU Director of Communications Mike Clardy.

That call will be made after the trees' fate becomes more certain next season, Clardy said.

“All the decisions that have been made so far are contingent upon the fact that we have to wait until the spring to see if the trees are going to survive,” Clardy said beneath the iconic oaks Wednesday. “Our Toomer’s Oaks Task Force believes it will be some time around April before they know if the trees are going to put out new leaves.”

If the trees at Toomer’s Corner are replaced, they would be with larger trees, Clardy said.

“One of the things the committee had to decide was to replace the oaks with saplings or larger trees and based on the feedback we got from alumni, employees and students, they wanted larger trees,” Clardy said.

The Committee to Study the Future of Rolling Toomer’s Corner met last week and decided to recommend that one or more large oak trees be planted in that location, assuming the trees are not going to live, said Debbie Shaw, committee chair. The committee also decided on recommendations of how to address the continued rolling tradition should that take place.

The trees at the corner of College Street and Magnolia Avenue were allegedly poisoned with a potent herbicide shortly after the 2010 Iron Bowl.

If the existing trees do not survive as expected, a group will be put together to decide what will be done with the wood from the trees.

At some point there will be a meeting between AU and City of Auburn officials to determine what a temporary rolling structure at Toomer’s Corner might be, Clardy said.

If the existing trees do not survive, a group will be put together to decide what will be done with the wood from the Toomer’s Oaks, Clardy said.

“Obviously we don’t want to be here having this conversation," Clardy said. "If we had everything to do over again, the trees wouldn’t have been poisoned and we would be celebrating every fall with these two trees. But we have to make some plans for the future. Fans and their kids want to come up here for generations and we want to do what we can to protect that tradition, and if that means two new trees, that’s what's going to happen.”