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2. OCR: Single Oak falls in wind in Fullerton
http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=16929&section=LOCAL&year
FULLERTON ? An 80-year-old coast live oak, the only tree preserved in the new 290-acre Amerige Heights housing development in Fullerton, toppled today from a combination of tree rot, storm waters and wind load...Arborist Susan Sims of Pedley said the oak was among a long chain of trees that shared the wind load. 'But when it was singled out for preservation, it held the burden for the strong winds.'..."
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3. LATIMES: Trabuco canyon monks and their Oaks under attack
http://www.latimes.com/classified/jobs/news/la-re-monks22dec22.story
"Fighting for serenity
"Trabuco has old oaks, monks and wildlife. For a while, anyway.
"By Diane Wedner, Times Staff Writer
"...Once a solitary outpost with expansive views of only chaparral-covered hills and deep ravines in this remote region of Orange County's Santa Ana Mountains, the monastery's hilltop vista now encompasses cluster after cluster of identical-looking tract homes plunked atop the mountains like ill-fitting hats...
"To build homes on the Saddleback ridgeline, developers will have to remove about 9 million cubic yards of earth for re-compacting..
"...the grading, which will slice off the mountaintop and require the bulldozing and transporting of tons of earth, is in violation of the county's Trabuco Canyon Specific Plan, opponents say.
"The document was adopted in 1991 to establish development standards for the area and prohibits large manufactured slopes. It also ensures that the canyon maintains its scenic, rural atmosphere.
"...State and federal wildlife officials are worried that the new development will impede wildlife movement and possibly eliminate the corridor...
"The collision of suburban growth and rural canyon life in eastern Orange County began in the 1970s with the Coto de Caza...about three miles south of Trabuco...
"...Until the 241 toll road was built in April 1995, the only way into and out of Coto was by winding along rustic, tree-lined Live Oak Canyon Road, through the heart of Trabuco Canyon. The onetime 45-minute trek to jobs now takes just minutes...making the area even more attractive to buyers...
"...Rancho Santa Margarita...put nearly 17,000 homes and shopping and commercial development within miles of the canyon. The project brought suburbia practically to Trabuco Canyon's doorstep..."
http://www.latimes.com/classified/jobs/news/la-re-monks22dec22.story

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