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400-year-old oak tree topples in T.O.
No one at complex is injured
STORY TOOLS 
More from Conejo ValleyThousand Oaks lost one of its oldest and stateliest denizens Tuesday afternoon when a tree estimated to be more than 400 years old came crashing down, leaving a big crater where it had stood for centuries.
No one was injured when the 60-foot-tall oak fell about 1:45 p.m. on a courtyard at the Archstone Community housing complex in the 300 block of Hodencamp Road.
The tree did not appear to damage any structures or any of the half-dozen other oaks in the courtyard.
George Moore, a landscape architect and oak tree specialist for the city of Thousand Oaks, said designers purposefully left plenty of room for the tree when they planned the housing complex 15 to 20 years ago.
With a 5-foot diameter, the tree could have been one of the largest in Thousand Oaks, Moore said, "possibly 400 or more years old."
"It most definitely is one of the oldest trees in Thousand Oaks," Moore said.
The old tree was less healthy than other nearby oaks and had fewer leaves, Moore said.
But officials were not sure why it fell and planned to investigate further.
The tree lay on its side throughout much of the afternoon. Workers were expected to cut it into pieces and cart it off.
Despite its name, Thousand Oaks actually has 40,000 to 50,000 oak trees, said Andrew Powers, a spokesman for the city.
Posted by keem_s on May 21, 2008 at 11:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Can we make some nice furniture and cabinets out of it now?
Posted by pleasantville on May 21, 2008 at 11:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
400 year old oak tree,i must admit i was saden to read about this.
Posted by 2smokingbarrels on May 21, 2008 at 12:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bonfire anyone? I sure brucethepolepolisher will bring the smores!
Posted by vae4usc on May 21, 2008 at 12:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Has anyone found that other missing tree yet?
Posted by Old_Fart on May 21, 2008 at 1:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Duh, it fell because of gravity.
Any file photos of the old tree? Another historical landmark gone by the wayside.
Posted by sparks240 on May 21, 2008 at 4:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Another big oak fell Monday morning on Encino Vista, about a mile from the one that fell Tuesday. I guess it's 998 Oaks now.
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