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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A hybrid scrub oak that looks like a tall, overgrown shrub in a Salt Lake City historical park is a rare and ancient tree from a time when Utah and the Great Basin were warmer and wetter.
The branches of the 15-foot-high tree cover nearly an acre a few feet east of the Mary Fielding Smith house at This is the Place Heritage Park.
"This tree is significant because it provides evidence of climate change," said Chuck Wullstein, a retired University of Utah biology professor. "There had to be a warm climate for it to be here."
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