Sad news tree huggers… the HUGE tree in Old Town Calabasas, in front of Calabasas Jewlery, is dying.
Arborists from the City of Calabasas and a private firm determined that the valley oak tree in the 23500 block of Calabasas Road was dying and presented a hazard to the public. The valley oak had an infamous past. It was sometimes called the “hanging tree” in reference to its Old West roots and has been included in numerous historical reports on the development of Calabasas and the San Fernando Valley. Valley oaks are the largest of the California native oak species and among the sturdiest. But the extreme drought has caused many of them to become weak and to fall, resulting in injury and property damage. Because it was located in front of a commercial and retail complex in a prominent area of Calabasas where many pedestrians gather, the sick oak posed a risk of cracking and falling on a pedestrian, the city said.
A large part of the trunk was left standing, mostly as a tribute to the past.