A Palmer oak in Jurupa Valley is estimated to be 13,000 to 18,000 years old. The plant, which looks like a sprawling, dark green shrub, is now at the center of a development battle.
(Aaron Echols)
JURUPA VALLEY, California –
After a contentious five-hour public meeting, environmental activists convinced Inland Empire officials to delay construction of the new plant. development of a project within 400 feet of one of the oldest known plants in the state and the third oldest in the world.
“Tonight was a real learning curve,” Jurupa Valley City Planning Commission Chairman Penny Newman said during Thursday's meeting. “I think we all need time to process the information we've had here tonight.”
The committee voted unanimously in favor of the vote. Commissioners said developers should do more research into the possible effects on the plant, a Palmer oak, and further explore protective measures. Commissioners also asked for more details on a plan to transfer ownership of the tree and surrounding land to a local tribe, which would oversee its conservation.
“We have discovered a treasure on the world stage here in our humble city,” Jennifer Iyer, a lifelong Jurupa Valley resident, said at the meeting. “In a city known for its toxic waste dump, the worst air quality in the country… let's have a plan that protects and celebrates something unique that we are proud of.”
The development of approximately 370 hectares would consist of housing, a primary school, a business park and industrial buildings. The tree would be on a 27-acre rocky outcrop, but would come within 400 feet of the plant. Scientists and tribe members say the oak has been around for at least 13,000 years — surviving the last ice age and, more recently, the founding of the United States.
Members of the Shiishongna Tongva Nation, the Corona Band Of Gabrieleño Indians, and the Kizh Nation, Gabrieleño Band Of Mission Indians have also lived in the Santa Ana River Basin for millennia. Both groups consider the tree sacred.
“We've known about this tree for centuries,” said Michael Negrete, chief and chairman of the Shiishongna Tongva Nation. “It gives medicine. It gives oxygen. It gives life to the animals.”
Companies have tried to develop the country since the early ninetieswith Richland Communities presenting the current plan in 2019. After discussions with the City Planning Commission and the public, it replaced potential warehouses with light industrial space and a business park, increased the amount of open space and committed to transferring ownership and conservation responsibilities of the land containing the Palmer oak to a native tribe or conservation organization.
Richland Communities announced at the meeting that they had reached a draft agreement to transfer the land to the Kizh Nation and provide them with an initial grant of $250,000 for conservation. Company executives also proposed requiring the agreement to be finalized before construction begins on the industrial and commercial portions closest to the tree.
Commissioners want additional information about the details of the plan and how the preservation of the land would be legally enforced. Richland Communities did not respond to a request for comment.
Compared to the rugged California live oaks, the Palmer oak is more shrubby, consisting of individual stems that sprout in a grove. Only relatively recently have researchers determined its impressive age.
Mitchell Provance, a botanist and associate professor at UC Riverside, first saw the oak more than two decades ago and thought it was odd that it was growing isolated from other members of its species in an area that was much lower and hotter than where the trees normally grow. He began discussing the tree with his colleagues. They hypothesized that it was the last remnant of a time when the region was cooler and wetter — a much friendlier environment for the oaks.
To see if this was the case, the researchers collected samples from multiple dead stems – and sure enough, they all had identical DNA. When the tree was damaged by fire, it sprouted from the base of its trunk. Using tree rings to estimate how much the trunk can grow in a year, the team was able to calculate the age of the tree by measuring the diameter of the grove.
Today the forest is 25 meters wide, leading researchers to estimate that the tree is between 13,000 and 18,000 years old. It's possible the tree could have reproduced itself, rather than just sprouting from the trunk to produce clones, but this is unlikely, experts say.
Although the company has worked with environmental consultant FirstCarbon Solutions to investigate the impact of construction vibrations on the tree and identify possible water sources, the company has not mapped the tree's root system or confirmed its direct water source. This process would require chemical testing of water at the roots of the oak.
Some are also concerned that the proposed development would expose the ancient oak to the urban heat island effect – a phenomenon in which developed areas can occur 1 to 7 degrees higher then shady, natural areas during the day.
Aaron Echols, the president of the Riverside/San Bernardino California Native Plants Society, said it's up to conservation groups to point out possible impacts on the tree that haven't yet been studied. “The burden to limit the impact … lies with the applicant and the advisor.”
Environmentalist Aaron Echols walks down a dirt path across from a giant hill where the Palmer oak stands. The development would extend to the foot of the hill.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The portion of the environmental impact report discussing the Palmer oak — including its exact location — has been redacted from public documents. The city was required to do this by law, as the tree has sensitive cultural significance to Native tribes. As a result, independent scientists were unable to examine the report.
The city said it would explore “creative ways” to legally allow a select group of outside experts to review and discuss the report.
