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

After months of deliberation, the city of Jurupa Valley approved a development next to an oak tree that is at least 13,000 years old.


Looking more like a sprawling tree shrub, the Jurupa Oak has survived since the last ice age. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

By Shannon Osaka
September 6, 2024 at 2:31 p.m. EDT

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, 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 years old — putting it in rare company as one of the oldest living plants in the world. Unlike traditional oak trees, this species reproduces by cloning itself, allowing it to make genetically identical sprouts after being burned in wildfire.

Nestled on a craggy outcrop overlooking ATV trails, the ancient tree looks more like a spread-out shrub. But that modest appearance defies the tree’s longevity. It has survived where many of its fellows died.

{snip}

By Shannon Osaka
Shannon Osaka is a climate reporter covering policy, culture, and science for The Washington Post. Before joining The Post, she was a climate reporter at the nonprofit environmental outlet Grist.follow on X @shannonosaka