End of the road for Simi's oldest oak tree
By Kyle Jorrey kjorrey@theacorn.com

HISTORY'S ROOTS- This large California coast live oak tree located on Heritage Oak Court will soon be cut down because its poor health and failing foundation have made it a hazard to the public. Some want to see the landmark preserved in some way at Strathearn Park.

A massive oak tree, believed to be the largest and oldest in Simi Valley, is finally going the way of the Chumash Indians and Spanish conquistadors who at one time probably used its large canopy to take shade along the banks of the Arroyo Simi.

Once declared a county landmark by the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board, the Heritage Oak- as it's been dubbed- is now being deemed a public hazard.

"The tree has slowly gone into decline over the past several years and now the tree is dead," said city landscape architect Jerry Clark.

"It's scheduled to be removed sometime soon, probably this month."

According to Clark, the towering tree's declining health and long branches have made the majestic California coast live oak, located in the center of a cul de sac on Heritage Oak Court, a threat to those who might walk beneath it.

"It's an issue of liability. It really concerns us that those big branches could break off and hit someone," said Clark, the city's liaison to the tree advisory board.

"The management company that oversees the property the tree sits on is anxious to move forward."

But why did the once mighty oak, believed to be more than 300 years old, die? And could have steps been taken to save it?

Mike Kuhn, longtime environmental planner for the city, now retired, knows as much about Heritage Oak as he does about any other tree in the valley.

In his 29 years with the city, Kuhn was frequently sent out to examine the large oak, especially after the land around it was sold and slated for an industrial subdivision in the early 1980s. He took the opportunity to take its measurements.

"It's trunk diameter was in excess of 9 feet," Kuhn said. "That's a big oak tree."

According to Kuhn and others the tree has been in decline for many years, long before the development came in around it.

"It's been dying for some time. Either someone was going to take it down or it was going to collapse catastrophically," Kuhn said.

Pat Havens, city historian, said she agreed.

"By the time I even knew anything about (the Heritage Oak) it already had the severe problems with its core," said Havens, who is on the county's Cultural Heritage Board. "It's just a miracle it lasted this long."

Kuhn seemed to have a split opinion when asked if the tree's life could have been prolonged if the city had made different decisions during the planning stages of the industrial development.

"Anytime you develop around a tree, you have a chance of adversely affecting it, but I know major efforts were made to try and save that oak," Kuhn said. "There was a lot of backing for preserving the tree at the time of the industrial development but at that time there were no regulations that gave oak trees special (treatment).

"Perhaps something different could be done . . . but it's easy to point fingers now."

Kuhn, who retired in 2003, said he feels the tree did suffer from neglect in its later years.

"Besides leaving the tree alone it did not seem to me that anybody took responsibility for it. People in the industrial park didn't do anything special. The city kind of washed its hands of it and didn't take any action. The tree ended up falling into no man's land where nobody took responsibility for it," he said.

Clark said the city might never have a definitive answer as to what finally led to the demise of Heritage Oak.

"It's hard to diagnose a failure when a tree is completely dead, as opposed to looking at it when it's still alive to try and make a diagnostic analysis," said Clark, who nonetheless had his theories.

"Possibly, it was once in a river bed and as a result of development its water resources just went away. Maybe its ability to capture groundwater was altered by development," Clark said. "All we do know is that the tree died and it needs to be taken out."

Though most of Simi's 120,000 residents probably don't even know of the Heritage Oak, City Council member Barbra Williamson said the sheer age of the tree makes its passage significant.

"I think when you look at an oak tree like that, you think of the history the tree has seen and the years it's been there- maybe 500 or 700 years- and you think, 'God, that's phenomenal.'"

Despite its decline, Williamson, who is the council liaison to the tree advisory board, said she remembers when it stood alone in a empty field where it could be seen from the corner of Royal Avenue and Peppertree Lane.

"It was so beautiful, so majestic. If ever there was an oak tree, that was it," she said.

Kuhn said there's no doubt Simi is losing a piece of history when the oak is finally turned into mulch, beginning the life cycle all over again.

"This is a tree that was massive when the Indians were still around. I'm sure they knew of it," Kuhn said.

According to Clark, plans are already in place to replant new oak trees once Heritage Oak comes down.

The Simi Valley Historical Society is also looking into preserving a piece of the tree for future generations, Havens said. But both Havens and Kuhn agreed that won't be easy because the tree is in such bad shape- especially the trunk.