Elk Grove Resident Fears Tree's Days Numbered After Construction Work
ELK GROVE (CBS13) — An Elk Grove resident fears recent construction work at a shopping center may have doomed a 100-year-old oak tree growing nearby.
CBS13 learned from the city of Elk Grove that contractors didn't have permits to work behind the shopping center, and the city has ordered a stop to the work.
But the damage may have already been done.
"It'll probably take a couple of years to die, but they are slowly killing it," said Duane Schnobel.
Schnobel's watched over the heritage oak tree that grows behind his home for decades. He says that even with the busy stores surrounding it, the tree has not only survived all these years, it's thrived in its unlikely setting.
"You see a lot of wildlife come in, for an urban setting," he said. "You see owls and hawks that use it for nesting. It's pretty spectacular.
But in recent weeks, construction crews showed up to remodel the storefronts and have started digging up the ground, damaging the tree's roots and branches.
"All of a sudden, they were in here with heavy equipment," he said. "They pretty much compacted the soil down to the point that it's almost like concrete."
Schnobel believes the damage they've caused is permanent, since the soil will likely not retain moisture.
"Nobody speaks up for the tree, and I thought it was something I had to do."
