There's trouble in Tree City, USA.

The thought that Cambridge may no longer be a safe place for unguarded foliage may be giving city officials quite a headache. It seems that no tree, not even the Freedom Tree--which used to sit in front of the Lampoon Castle--is safe anymore.

This fall, the Freedom Tree was removed after vandals attacked it with an ax. And city officials planning to plant a replacement tree one week from today received a rude surprise this week when they realized that the soil on the site intended for Freedom Tree II had been poisoned with calcium chloride.

The felling of the tree marks the latest incident stemming from a feud which dates back to the 1960s. Much suspicion falls on the Lampoon, a semi-secret organization known to occasionally publish what some hesitantly call a humor magazine. Lampoon members were unavailable for comment yesterday.

The Lampoon allegedly harbors bad feelings towards former Cambridge mayor and Freedom tree-planter Alfred E. Vellucci. And while many suspect that the butchering and poisoning may have been the Lampoon's revenge against the maverick former mayor, nothing has been proven.

Vellucci says that the Lampoon protested the planting of the tree in front of their building in 1963, saying that it obstructed the view of their fabulously anachronistic castle. The protests continued through the years, as the tree was mysteriously hit three times by vandals.

The tree survived the attacks, though. Vellucci says that the tree's ability to pull through the perpetual trauma reinforced its patriotic image in the minds of Cambridge residents.

"When people drove by the tree they would tip their hats," Vellucci says. "It's the tree that refused to die."

The most recent incident in the ongoing saga of the seven square feet of brick and dirt occured two days ago, when vandals poured calcium chloride--which hampers the growth of foliage--into the hole where the new tree is to be planted. As in the past, the vegicidal culprits were not caught.

Whether by intent or ignorance, though, the attempt to poison the soil remained only symbolic. Harvard Professor of Forestry John G. Torrey says that calcium chloride washes away quickly and could not pose a serious threat to a tree.

Still, Torrey says that the incident was unfortunate.

"There's a serious problem of getting trees in cities," says Torrey. "Individual trees cost hundreds of dollars. It's always a shame to see a tree go down.

City Arborist Jack. R. Kelley says the vandal's identity is unimportant, adding that the vandalization occurred six weeks after the Lampoon requested the tree be removed.

"The biggest thing from the standpoint of the city is that the tree is innocent and defenseless," says Kelley. "It doesn't have the conscience to go out and hurt someone. As an arborist we look at the individual tree. To us, it's a tree, pure and simple."

"There's been no admission of guilt," Kelley says. "It just happened. We shouldn't have any animosity between one another. People need to learn to get along...[Students at Harvard] are destined for something bigger once they leave here. They should be striving for something better. I want this to come out very positive."