AIRPORT OAKS

(April 11) Sacramento County officials say dozens of trees along the runway of Rancho Murieta Airport are a safety hazard and will have to be cut down. Of particular concern is a 200-year-old oak (left). The airport lost its night operations a year ago because of the trees, and now daytime operations are in jeopardy. The airport's 3,800-foot runway was built more than 30 years ago, the first Rancho Murieta development. It's owned by the estate of businessman Fred Anderson. You can see a Bee story about the issue here. (Click photos for larger images.)