Residents Feel Uprooted by Tree Cut

The 80-foot-tall oak tree was a landmark on Cheswick Place.

One of the oldest and largest representatives of the venerable species that gave Thousand Oaks its name, the tree was one of the things that most attracted Andrea Richard when she bought her home three years ago.

The beautiful old oak provided shade in the summer, and the night sky somehow seemed more magical through its dense network of branches, she said. But on Friday, the Richard family watched tearfully as a tree-cutting company started taking the 400-year-old oak down.

“We’ve been crying for a couple of days,” Richard said.

The city of Thousand Oaks ordered the tree’s removal because its trunk had rotted.

Officials feared the 82-inch-diameter tree could have fallen on any of the three homes its canopy covered. The mammoth tree was also starting to cause problems in the Richard home. Roots were pushing up the floor of the living room and the garage, she said.

Richard had hoped there would be a way to save the tree. But a landscape consultant and the city reluctantly agreed several months ago: The tree needed to go.

“As far as its value to the community, it’s immeasurable,” said George Moore, the city’s oak tree specialist. “It’s a historic tree, and it is quite an asset to the overall neighborhood.”

As the cutting began early Friday morning, neighbors stopped to watch the workers remove each thick branch. It will probably take a few days for the 10-man crew to cut down the entire tree, Richard said.

“It’s been a painful experience,” she said. “People have a certain emotional attachment to trees.”

Neighbor Denise Garnett, who lives directly behind Richard, said she couldn’t sleep Thursday night as she recalled sitting under the tree’s branches over the past 10 years.

Garnett blamed the city for not educating homeowners about how to care for aging trees.

“The city needs to get more involved with the regulation of these trees,” Garnett said. “This is a crime. If Thousand Oaks wants to protect these trees, they need to educate us.”

Councilman Mike Markey said there are city officials who can help.

“If anybody would like to know how to take care of those trees, they can call the arborists, who would be happy to help,” he said.

Not everyone was in tears about the loss of the tree. Andrea Richard’s son Jake, 8, said he is sorry to see the tree go but can see a bright side.

At least, he said, there won’t be any more leaves to clean up. That means “we’re going to get to swim more” in the family pool.