Chopped walnut tree leaves bad taste
Sometimes a tree falls and nobody hears it. This one fell and woke up the whole neighborhood.

Pasadena developers Aitan and Schlomy Hillel admitted to taking the ax to a 50-year-old black walnut tree at the corner of Chesebro Road and Palo Comado Canyon Drive in Old Agoura after city officials denied their application to build a carwash at the site. (See page 1A story.)

The city and the public didn't think a carwash would be appropriate for the site because it's near a preschool, an equestrian park and a senior living facility. But it also would have been near a slew of other, previously approved businesses and not that much out of place in the already bustling neighborhood. The carwash was denied, however, and the developers exercised their one clear legal right: They cut down the black walnut.

The initial reaction of the community was, "How could they dare?" Tall trees populate the Conejo Valley like jewels in a window. The area's old oaks are especially sacrosanct.

But put yourself in the shoes of the brothers and other hardworking businessmen who invest much time and money to make a successful living. Getting building permits in Agoura Hills is no easy feat and the frustration of watching the fields lie fallow must be difficult for them. Plans never get passed and legal entanglements often ensue.

In Agoura Hills, black walnuts aren't protected by law and, in fact, some horticulturists recommend the trees not be planted near parking lots because they're prone to aphid infestation and can be a messy annoyance to car owners. Going forward, the developers may build something else on their property rather than a carwash, or they may sell the lot. Vengeance notwithstanding, they decided the tree needed to come down and such a decision falls within their rights as commercial property owners. Unfortunately, Mother Nature paid the price.

A black walnut tree may once have stood where your own house was built. It's too bad nature has to pay the price of progress, but once again it has.