OAK PLANNING CRITICIZED STATE EPA CHIEF SAYS TREE DILEMMA IS PART OF LARGER PROBLEM.Byline: Amy Raisin Darvish Staff Writer STEVENSON RANCH Stevenson Ranch, California (in the 91381 ZIP Code) is a Los Angeles County, USA, unincorporated community west of Santa Clarita a few miles south of Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. The Stevenson Ranch fountain was redone in 2007. - The head of the state's Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and made an unofficial visit Saturday to the giant oak tree that became a cause celebre cause cé·lè·bre n. pl. causes cé·lè·bres 1. An issue arousing widespread controversy or heated public debate. 2. A celebrated legal case. for environmentalists when road construction plans dictated it be removed. Terry Tamminen, recently appointed secretary of the California EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. , toured the excavated site in Pico Canyon where the grand oak tree known as Old Glory sits in a massive planter box. While he offered no solutions to the dozens of people pleading to leave the tree where it stands, he stressed the need for better city planning city planning, process of planning for the improvement of urban centers in order to provide healthy and safe living conditions, efficient transport and communication, adequate public facilities, and aesthetic surroundings. . ``This is an unfortunate symptom of a larger problem,'' Tamminen said of the tree's obstruction of the road project. ``That planning (to consider the landscape) should have been done 10 years ago. We should not have this same conversation 10 years from now.'' Developer John Laing For John Laing, the 15th century bishop of Glasgow, see John Laing (bishop) John Laing plc is a British developer and operator of privately financed, public sector infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, hospitals and schools through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Homes planned to cut down the oak tree 15 months ago. But when environmentalist environmentalist a person with an interest and knowledge about the interaction of humans and animals with the environment. John Quigley John B. Quigley is a professor of law at the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University, where he is the Presidents' Club Professor of Law. In 1995 he was recipient of The Ohio State University Distinguished Scholar Award. protested by living in the oak's branches for more than two months, the developer agreed to relocate the tree to an arbor nearby. After 71 days perched above flag-waving supporters who brought food and made posters, Quigley - who spoke at a rally at Old Glory on Saturday - was removed from the tree by sheriff's deputies a year ago, on Jan. 10, 2003. Bill Rattazzi, a regional president for Laing Homes, said his company chose not to destroy the tree and has spent more than $1 million to relocate it with minimal damage. ``This tree was slated to be cut down,'' Rattazzi said. ``Arguably, we've given it a second lease on life by our willingness to be creative and look for options. The tree is surviving very well and we're very proud of that.'' One arborist who spoke Saturday, however, said that boxing the tree may have already sealed its fate. ``The likelihood of it surviving isn't (a question of) moving it (anymore). It's been severed,'' said Andy Lipkis, president of Tree People, a tree conservation group. ``Everything that supported this tree becoming a champion is gone, (like) the soil structure.'' The tree stands 70 feet tall with a 15-foot circumference. The developer plans to move the 916,000-pound oak by the end of the month. Amy Raisin Darvish, (661) 257-5254 amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Activist John Quigley, left, speaks to state EPA leader Terry Tamminen in front of Pico Canyon's Old Glory. (2 -- color) Protesters listen as John Quigley speaks in front of the boxed 70-foot-tall oak on Saturday. The tree is being moved to an arbor to make room for a road-widening project. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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