Deal Prevents the Felling of 16 Oaks

College of the Canyons and two conservation groups struck an agreement this week that will save 16 oak trees while allowing the burgeoning college to build a new 1,596-space student parking lot.

Campus officials expect to begin grading for the lot in early spring.

The agreement settled a lawsuit filed in July against the college by the Santa Clarita Oak Conservancy and the California Oak Foundation to block construction of the lot, which then called for the removal of 34 valley oaks.

Under the modified plan, the college will reduce the size of the proposed lot by about 15%, or 274 spaces, and pare down a driveway from four lanes to two, thus eliminating the need for removing the 16 oaks.

Also, the college will set aside 20 acres on the undeveloped west side of the campus as a natural oak savanna, deeding it in perpetuity as a conservation easement so it will never be developed, college spokeswoman Sue Bozman said.

College officials hired an oak specialist to evaluate each tree in the area for its size and vigor. Of the 18 trees that must still be removed to make way for the lot, some are young, healthy and transplantable, Bozman said.

“If in some way we can figure out a way to save a tree, we will,” she said.

Trees that cannot be transplanted will be replaced on an “inch by inch” basis, meaning that if a tree 22 inches in diameter is felled, a 22-inch-diameter tree would be planted to replace it. However, the college plans to replace trees with oaks of varying sizes and ages, Bozman said.

Officials plan to complete construction of the lot in time for the fall 2001 term.

More than 10,000 students currently attend classes on the Valencia campus. Enrollment is expected to double in the next eight years, Bozman said.