Effort to block relocation of oak tree denied

LOS ANGELES -- A judge Tuesday rejected a last-ditch effort by a tree-sitting environmentalist to block the relocation of a 400-year-old oak that stands in the path of a housing construction project.

Superior Court Judge John P. Shook denied John Quigley's request for a temporary restraining order, citing the housing development's proposed economic benefits and the developer's effort to move the tree rather than cut it down.

Quigley spent 71 days in the oak's branches until deputies removed him last Friday.

The long-running protest by Quigley and his supporters led developer John Laing Homes to come up with the plan to move the tree to a nearby park rather than cut it down. But environmentalists fear the move will kill the oak.

The judge commended Quigley's effort to save the oak but said leaving it in place any longer would cost the developer too much money.

Lawyers for the developer, John Laing Homes, have said the company must move the tree soon while it is dormant or wait until next fall. Waiting that long would cost the company about $750,000 for security, said attorney Edward Galloway.