Saving the California oaks They’re majestic, they’re imperiled, and they’re the most Californian of all trees. Follow our guide to see them in their spring glory. |Bill Marken   California’s major oak species are distinguishable by canopy shape and, up close, leaf structure.   I was an Acorn. Our school was named after the oaks that carpeted my Northern California valley before the ranchers cut them down to plant fruit trees, and our yearbook was