Near Developer's Path: One of the Oldest Trees on Earth

A tree that was around when saber-tooth tigers roamed the land is still alive and kicking in Jurupa Valley, California. But despite surviving the last Ice Age and adapting to a warming climate, the Jurupa Oak might now be in danger of development, advocates fear. This week, the Jurupa Valley Planning Commission approved a development plan around the oak, which is believed to be between 13,000 to 18,000 years old, reports KVCR.

• The tree: As the Washington Post reports, the tree looks more like "a collection of shrubs nestled atop a hill in a rocky gully. But those shrubs are just the crown of a giant, spreading oak tree, 90 feet long and 30 feet wide." Most of it is underground. The Los Angeles Times notes that it is thought to be one of the oldest living plants on Earth. You can see images of it in this NBC News video.

• The plan: Developer Richland Communities seeks to build a 1.4-square-mile development in the city of 100,000. It would include 1,700 homes, a business park, and a public school.
• On the brink? Environmentalists warn that the measures developers promise to put in place to protect the tree—a 250-foot berth, and machinery no closer than about 260 feet—are not enough. They say laying asphalt and concrete on the surrounding hills could disrupt its vast root system and create "heat island" effects. They also worry about the construction vibrations. It "could be enough to push this plant to its edge," Aaron Echols, who chairs an area conservation society, tells ABC7.
• Public sentiment: During public comments, the planning commission received over 100 letters opposing the development, and dozens showed up to discuss it (with more than half in opposition). "We have discovered a treasure on the world stage here in our humble city," said resident Jenny Iyer. "Will one of the oldest living beings on the planet die just because Jurupa Valley okays industrial and business parks next to it?"
• Oldest organisms: The Jurupa Oak is thought to be the third or fourth oldest living organism on earth, following a holly in Tasmania (43,000 years old) and a quaking aspen in Utah (80,000 years old). Describing the tree to Eyewitness News in 2009, scientist Andrew Sanders said it was like "looking at a bit of what the world was like in the Ice Age," adding, "we don't have to look at a fossil in this case; we can see the living individuals."
• What's next: After the planning commission's 4-1 vote in favor, the development plan still needs the permission of the full city council to move forward.

(The biggest Stegosaurus fossil ever found sold for $44.6M.)