THE PASSING OF A GIANT TOWERING, AGED OAK REMOVED AFTER EXPERTS DECLARE IT A HAZARD.

Byline: ERIC LEACH Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY -- A majestic oak tree in the center of Heritage Oak Court was cut down Friday and Saturday after city officials concluded it was dead and had become a hazard to the cars and pedestrians below its branches.

Jerry Clark, a landscape architect for the city of Simi Valley, said the nearly 100-foot-tall coast live oak in the cul-de-sac might have been as old as 700 years.

Judy Dwyer, a member of the city's tree advisory committee, said if a good cross section of the 8-foot-diameter trunk can be saved, she hopes it can be moved to the Strathearn Historical Park, where its tree rings could show important times in the area's history.

``It's not one of the largest, but it is one of the oldest trees around here,'' she said. ``It makes me sad. ... It's history.''

The street north of Brandeis-Bardin Institute presumably got its name from the tree, Dwyer said, adding, ``Indian kids probably climbed this tree.''

``Five hundred years ago Indians were probably sitting in the shade of this tree,'' she said Friday as she watched workers begin to cut it down. ``How many history-making conversations took place here?''

Still, the tree is clearly dead, she said.

``If the trunk is in good enough condition, the ultimate goal will now be to display it at the historical park,'' Dwyer said.

Clark said there was actually a palm tree growing out of the oak tree's massive trunk, so the palm would be removed as well. But the huge open area where the tree stood was expected to be replanted with more trees.

``There is a long history of the demise of this tree,'' he said. ``Oak trees are known to be slow-growing and very slow to die. You cannot have a dead tree in a public right of way. It's a matter of safety.''

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Photo:

(1 -- color) A nearly 100-foot-tall coast live oak, which experts say is dead, awaits cutting Friday morning on Heritage Oak Court in Simi Valley. A cross section of the majestic oak, which may be 700 years old, could be salvaged as a historical exhibit. Many trees will be planted on the site where the oak stood.

(2 -- color) A worker walks around the trunk of the old oak tree on Heritage Oak Court in Simi Valley on Friday morning before it was cut down. The tree, which officials said was dead and posed a hazard, could have been 700 years old.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer