Ancient Jurupa Oak to Be Protected Under Settlement With Developer
A lawsuit settlement between conservation groups and Richland Communities will set aside land around the roughly 13,000-year-old tree in Jurupa Valley and bar development near it.
By Amy Swan · · Originally reported by LAist
A roughly 13,000-year-old oak tree in Jurupa Valley is set to be preserved under an agreement between environmental groups and a real estate developer, ending a legal dispute over a large housing project planned nearby.
Conservation groups had sued over the development, arguing it would have killed the tree. Under the settlement, Richland Communities, the project's developer, must conserve 54 acres near the Jurupa Oak and may not build on any land within 1,000 feet of it.
The tree dates to the Ice Age, according to Len Nunney of Friends of Riverside's Hills. He said its significance goes beyond its age. "It's actually survived as climate has changed," Nunney said, adding that as far as anyone knows, it is the only remaining representative of its species anywhere near the area.
Conservationists have said the oak's roots reach down through the hill's large rocks, hundreds of feet, to groundwater.
The fight over the tree has gone on for years. In 2024, Jurupa Valley approved a 900-acre housing project that would have placed homes 500 feet from the oak. Conservation groups contended the city had failed to consider the project's impacts and filed suit within weeks of the approval.
Friends of Riverside's Hills and the other plaintiffs, the Center for Biological Diversity and the California Native Plant Society, are satisfied with the outcome, Nunney said. He credited the developer with negotiating in good faith to create "a much larger barrier around the oak."
The settlement also lets environmental groups or California Native American tribes buy an additional 54 acres to protect more open space. Aaron Echols, chair of the California Native Plant Society's Inland Empire chapter and a member of the Friends of the Jurupa Oak, said he is confident stakeholders can work together to acquire it. The buffer between the oak and development has more than doubled at its shortest point, he said, and if the extra land is acquired, it "will entirely protect the immediate watershed around the oak."
City officials said they are pleased with the result. City Manager Rod Butler said in an emailed statement to KVCR that the city had hoped Richland Communities and the conservationists would reach a mutual agreement. The city has also created a webpage describing its plans to work with the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians, Kizh Nation, to help steward the land near the tree. Andrew Salas, the tribe's chairman, said in 2024 that the tribe was committed to working with Richland to preserve the oak, the surrounding land and the natural habitat.
Richland Communities said it was always committed to helping preserve the tree. "We're pleased to now be able to move forward and bring much-needed housing to the area," the company said in a statement.
