Does President Trump really need to cut down Andrew Jackson's magnolia tree? Expert weighs in

A historic tree at the White House will meet the end of its lifespan soon - but an expert says that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"The bad news is that everything must come to an end, and this tree is in terrible condition, a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed," he continued. 

Legend states that Jackson, who served as president from 1829 to 1837, reportedly planted two magnolia trees at the White House to honor his late wife Rachel. But it is not clear if the trees were definitely planted by Old Hickory, and the National Park Service's (NPS) website states that they date back to the 1860s at the latest.

Speaking to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, consulting arborist Denice Britton explained that the tree "could very likely be potentially dangerous."

"Just from looking at a photograph, I can see that the tree is thin, meaning that there were lots of branches that didn't have foliage on it," she observed. "So that's a sign that it wasn't as vigorous as the trees around it."

Britton, who has worked as an arborist for over four decades, professionally consults clients on matters ranging from tree appraisal and tree management to risk assessment. A risk assessment is when an arborist inspects a tree for heavy wood, disease or any other type of risk.

"As long as one of the [White House's] tree service's arborists has performed a risk evaluation on it, and declared it high risk, the tree should be taken down," she added. "The arborists who take care of the trees at the White House are highly qualified."

Having spent her career in California, Britton said that she's worked with a few southern magnolias before, particularly one in Napa.

"Because so many of the original old growth trees have been removed over the years, [the Jackson magnolia] is not a particularly old tree for a magnolia."

Britton also noted that environmentalists who oppose the tree's felling would be remiss to ignore that repurposing wood helps save carbon.

The expert also expressed contentment over seeing how well the trees have been taken care of.