Coast Live Oak? (Q. agrifolia), Woodland Hills. Aged about, what, 75 - 100 years?
On 1/14/2023 it crushed 12 parked cars when it fell during rain and high winds. No people injured, but fatal for the Oak.
Washingtonia 1/11/2023 (image from local news):
Italian Stone Pine(?) Pinus pinea 1/11/2023 (image from local news):
(image from local news):
Eucalyptus globulus, aged about 40 years, county park, 1/26/2023:
Rain-softened soil followed by high winds two weeks later toppled this drought-weakened Eucalyptus.
Other trees in the park are also in trouble. The Euc indicated by the red arrow has developed quite a lean overnight. The Sequoia (blue arrow), same age as the Euc, is dying of drought. It is one of three barely surviving Sequoias here. Five have died and been removed over the past few years.
Sad ,but unsurprising about the beautiful Oak--drought, plus life in a parking lot. The Eucalyptus (too fire prone, invasive) and the Sequoia (cool foggy climate required) should not have been planted in this region. The mature size of the pine was too large for its location. The palm is a weed, offering excellent food and shelter for rats.
Yes, sad, even if it isn't surprising. Amazing aerial photos from the local news source. Your thoughts at the end are wise.
ReplyDeleteDrought followed by atmospheric rivers, played on repeat - a recipe for downfall with the risk enhanced by poor choices.
ReplyDeleteSad stories indeed. Makes me wish I'd taken photos to commemorate some of the big oldies I've seen toppled around town these last few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI have no remorse for the palms (swizzle sticks with tassels), and only a bit more for the eucalyptus (they are all over UCSD, and beautiful, but they're torches). I grieve for the oak and the Italian Stone Pine though. There was a street in Santa Barbara lined with those pines (I don't remember the name of it, but it was near Garden Street -- Anapamu?), and they were magnificent, despite the butchery to try to make them fit in much too small a spot. It always reminded me of Chinese foot binding. The things that people do to trees and the humiliation they suffer at the hands of fools. It breaks my heart. Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteAlways sad to see trees go as they take so long to grow. The lesson is to do lots of research into how big a tree is going to get, to plant appropriate trees and to stop torturing trees in tiny cement enclosed parking lots. The pine was especially beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMany of us love trees, but not enough of us respect them as living things with needs (like space for their roots) that must be satisfied.
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