California city approves industrial park next to one of Earth’s oldest trees

3 comments

1. One of the world’s oldest living organisms — which once sprouted next to giant ground sloths and other prehistoric creatures — will soon sit 550 feet from industrial buildings.

   After months of debate that thrust the small city of Jurupa Valley, Calif., into the [national spotlight](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/07/04/jurupa-oak-tree-development-california/?itid=lk_inline_manual_3), the city council approved a plan on Thursday night to build a development next to the Jurupa Oak, an ancient tree that has survived since the last ice age. The vote was 3-2.

   “It’s shocking and sad to see the city fail to protect an ancient plant that is truly a wonder to behold,” Meredith Stevenson, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

   Scientists have estimated that the Jurupa Oak, a species known as the Palmer’s oak, is between [13,000 and 18,000](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0008346) years old — putting it in rare company as one of the [oldest living plants](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/this-massive-ancient-forest-is-actually-the-worlds-largest-living-thing-by-mass/2016/08/01/dc4056d2-54f5-11e6-88eb-7dda4e2f2aec_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_4&itid=lk_inline_manual_7) in the world. Unlike traditional oak trees, this species reproduces by cloning itself, allowing it to reproduce new, genetically identical sprouts after being burned in wildfire.

   Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/09/06/california-jurupa-oak-development/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/09/06/california-jurupa-oak-development/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)

2. WTF of all places California! Recently the State of Florida is hopefully not going to build golf courses and resorts on protected habitat in State Parks thanks to a state employee whistleblower. Many thanks to that man who defied the odds in a red state like Florida. I just don’t understand how it’s getting this far in California and up to a 3-2 vote?

3. Unfortunately these “inland” California cities have more right leaning and “pro-business” city councils. Their desperation for any kind of economic development, even something as lame as an industrial park is seen as a win. 

   The sprawl from L.A. never seems to stop.