“Old Glory” Oak Tree Moves To New Site
The Los Angeles Times reports that Old Glory , a 70-foot valley oak that sparked a debate over the pace of growth in north Los Angeles County, was towed from its centuries-old home in a California suburb in late January, making way for a road-widening project that had originally doomed it to the chipper.
The relocation of the tree, which neighbors in the Santa Clarita Valley suburb of Stevenson Ranch called “Old Glory,” closed a chapter in a contentious story that began in late 2002, when activist John Quigley climbed into its branches and camped out there for more than two months, protesting plans to cut it down.
The protest generated news from West Virginia to Wales and attracted a wide variety of anti-development forces, as well as celebrities such as Rene Russo. Quigley became a hero to the environmental movement, while the American Spectator, a conservative opinion journal, ridiculed him for “taking tree-hugging to a new level.”
Old Glory was transported down a suburban thoroughfare on 128 wheels to a resting spot just 1/4-mile from its original location. The total load was estimated at 250 tons, requiring the pushing and pulling of a team of specialized trucks that are usually used to tow nuclear reactors and the enormous cranes used at ports to lift containers. At the end of the day, the tree was resting in its new location.
The oak tree is now completely replanted. The tree box has been disassembled and soil from the oak tree’s original growing site has been used to back fill the hole in which the tree now rests.
The tree remains dormant and continues to demonstrate good health. The arborist, Senna Tree Company, expects the tree to start pushing new leaves sometime in March. In the meantime, it is under constant supervision and receiving regular treatments of water and nutrients.