Saying Goodbye to Heritage Oak
Photos By Iris Smoot

END OF AN ERA- Members of a landscaping crew got to work early last Friday morning to bring down Simi's largest and oldest oak tree- the Heritage Oak, which might have been 700 years old. Armalaria, an incurable oak fungus, took hold of the Simi landmark in 2003 and finally rotted the inner wood and killed the massive oak despite efforts to save the tree. WOOD CHIPS- Pieces of the once majestic oak litter a nearby street. The Simi Valley Historical Society is hoping to preserve at least a portion of the tree at Strathearn Historical Park. PAYING TRIBUTE- Left, Sandra Achenbach, a member of the city's Simi Valley Tree Advisory Board, examines sections of the tree on Heritage Oak Court. Right, resident Judy Dwyer wears a black armband while giving the tree its last rites.