In 1792, the English explorer George Vancouver, upon his expedition through the Santa Clara Valley, referred to the Valley Oak (Quercus lobata) as "stately lords of the forest".  In 1861, William Brewer, the chief botanist for the first California Geological Survey said, "some of these oaks are noble indeed, one with a diameter of over 6 feet".  The UC-Hopland Research & Extension Center has many of these stately oaks, a few with 4-6 foot diameter trunks.  About twenty years ago a trunk "section-round' was collected from a nearby property (still in storage at HREC) and it has over 400 growth rings on it.  This oak species is endemic to California, growing in the hot interior valleys and foothills.  The Valley oak's deeply lobed, but blunt, leaves help with the identification.  In advancing age, the branches of many trees assume a majestic drooping characteristic. These large, mature trees provide an array of wildlife habitat elements including acorns for food and large cavities for denning and nesting.   Unfortunately, California has lost many of these stately oaks over the last 200 years due to land development for housing and agriculture purposes.