When Jeff Bornstein heard at a recent neighborhood council meeting in Woodland Hills that a developer was planning to remove nearly a thousand trees from the vast citrus orchard known as Bothwell Ranch, he stormed out of the room.
As someone who is weary of the shortage of parks and public space, the Woodland Hills resident was devastated to learn about the impending destruction of a large chunk of L.A.’s historic and last commercial orange grove — the sole surviving symbol of the region’s once prominent citrus-growing boom.
“It’s a big deal to me that they get rid of so many trees without any replacement,” Bornstein said. “When you are going to knock down so many trees, then you will have more density.”
The 12-acre Bothwell Ranch, nestled between the Woodland Hills and Tarzana neighborhoods, is dotted with rows of orange trees and gravel paths, and has been at the center of controversy since its owners put it up for sale in 2019. It was acquired in 2022 by a developer who is now seeking to redevelop the ranch into 21 upscale homes and remove more than 1,100 citrus trees.
Brad Rosenheim, president and CEO of the consulting firm Rosenheim & Associates, Inc. who works with developer Borstein Enterprises, said that of the nearly 1,137 trees that will be removed, “the vast majority are severely distressed due to many years of severe neglect, and the fact that they are reaching the end of their useful life, having been planted over 40 years ago.”
Rosenheim said that in the early 1980s the orchard trees were removed and replanted because they had exceeded their lifespan.
It’s unclear how many trees stand in Bothwell Ranch today. Rosenheim didn’t respond to an email asking him to disclose the number. He said, “545 trees will be retained or planted on-site within the proposed project and the preserved area.”
A Los Angeles Daily News story reported in 2004 that Bothwell Ranch had 1,900 trees.
Under the development plan, four trees…
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