Residents on Bones Road are standing their ground this morning to protect a 250-year-old Heritage oak tree from PG&E crews. The utility has earmarked the massive tree for removal, citing “active decay” and a safety risk to nearby power lines following an outage last year.
Per the Press Democrat, neighbors have parked a car in front of the trunk and hung signs—including one reading “1776”—to highlight the tree’s historical significance as a community landmark. While PG&E maintains they must clear a 12-foot path around lines in high fire-threat areas, residents are pushing for a compromise, even offering to pay to reroute the utility lines themselves.
Local lawmakers, including representatives for State Senator Mike McGuire and Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, are now reviewing the matter. For now, a neighborhood watch remains in place, with residents vowing to intervene if tree crews return to the site.
