Encino heritage oak

I’ve often said that every tree tells a story. Well, there’s a heritage oak in Encino, California that has a story to tell.

As most of you may know the live oaks and tan oaks of California are dying off in large numbers as a result of stresses brought about by decades of fire suppression. Oaks are fire-adapted trees, meaning they benefit from periodic fires. The lack of fire has weakened the oaks and created conditions that encourage the spread of diseases such as sudden oak death.

The live oaks and tan oaks, however, are not the only species of oaks that are suffering. Valley oaks (Quercus lobata), blue oaks (Q. douglasii), Oregon white oak (Q. garryana), and others species in the white oak subgroup are, in places, experiencing heavy dieoff, yet are showing no signs of sudden oak death or bark beetle infestation. As it turns out the white oaks, too, are suffering from the effects of fire suppression. The good news is that these oaks, like the live oaks and tan oaks, are showing positive responses to fire mimicry treatments.

One of the largest oaks in Encino, California is situated next to the home of Robert and Lelia Maltzman. This heritage valley oak is estimated to be about 500 years old. In 2006 I examined the oak and found the soils to be somewhat acidic and the canopy of the tree was rather thin. Fire mimicry treatments involving healthy doses of calcium-rich AZOMITE minerals were then implemented and, three years later, the oak is showing some nice improvement in canopy health.

Below are photos of the Encino heritage oak showing the changes in canopy health three years post-treatment. Note the removal of one large limb for stress reduction. I was not involved in this limb removal and may have done it differently from an aesthetic perspective. But the arborist certainly had his reasons and after three years the tree seems to be faring well.

Encino heritage oak before and after fire mimicry treatments

Here is an article describing this heritage oak that appeared in the Encino Sun in 2007.

Ecological research backs fire mimicry approach

Science Daily is reporting on a new study that documents the importance of fire feedbacks in maintaining savanna woodlands. Fire feedbacks are the ecological basis for employing fire mimicry to restore the oak savannas here in California. While I don’t have much faith in the mathematical models that these scientists are using, it is interesting that they have come to the same conclusion I have reached based on my own, and others’, empirical studies.

From Science Daily (Oct. 29, 2009):

Trees Facilitate Wildfires As A Way To Protect Their Habitat

Fire is often thought of something that trees should be protected from, but a new study suggests that some trees may themselves contribute to the likelihood of wildfires in order to promote their own abundance at the expense of their competitors.

Fire mimicry results with oaks, pines, and more . . .

As much as I would like to post more frequently on all the interesting work that is going on in land and tree stewardship, the fact is that I spend most of my time out working on the trees and soils, which leaves me limited time for blogging. There is so much I can do for a sick tree that I prefer to simply get on with doing the work rather than write about it.

Here is where my Canon Eos 30D comes in handy. I could measure and discuss percentage changes in crown density or leaf area index, but you’d be bored and the oaks would still be dying. With repeat photography I have more time to work on trees and it allows you to better view and judge for yourself the results of these efforts.

Early season rainfall pH measurements in Big Sur

Here is some news for those of you interested in following the story of acid rain in Big Sur. The first rains have arrived here in Big Sur in a big way, 8.45″ of rain fell between Oct. 12 and 14. The pH readings on the first 3 inches of rain averaged 5.41, the highest value (lowest acidity) yet recorded in over three years of measurements.

Another small storm brought some rain today (Oct. 19) which totaled just 0.14″, with a pH value of 4.79. This value is more in line with readings from the previous three years and represents a significant drop (increase in acidity) compared to the heavy rains last week.

What do you suppose is going on?

Upcoming workshop on tree and soil care at La Casa de Maria

THE HISTORY AND PRACTICE OF NATIVE TREE CARE

Saturday, October 10, from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
La Casa de Maria Retreat Center, 800 El Bosque Road, Santa Barbara, CA

For thousands of years the native Chumash people tended the oak forests in the Santa Barbara. Now California’s oaks are endangered. Come for a workshop that will include presentations, time in La Casa’s oak woodland and a hands-on demonstration of tree care.

The Chumash used prescribed fire and other methods of traditional land management. To them, living on a living earth meant that the trees and forests were essentially organs of the planet. Keeping the trees healthy was fundamental for maintaining their quality of life.

Now-a-days, oaks and other trees are experiencing accelerated rates of decline in many parts of California, including the Santa Barbara area. A holistic view of the problem reveals that many of our aging trees and their soils are undergoing a major ecological shift brought on by changes in land management, especially fire suppression.

By revisiting the practices of the native people we are provided with an effective means of intervening in the decline of trees without the use of synthetic chemicals. Details will be presented on how fires and fire mimicry methods act to improve the fertility of soils and the health of trees. Results will be shown of case studies involving a suite of techniques to restore oak trees, including fire, mineral fertilizers, limewashing, brush clearing and mulching.

There will also be a presentation on the practical applications of the theories of agroecology that are now used in ornamental horticulture. By shifting from conventional techniques that utilize synthetic chemicals and pesticides to non-toxic organic products focused on improving soil fertility and insect ecology plant health is significantly improved.

This workshop will include a demonstration on traditional tree care using all-natural materials.

Lee Klinger, MA, PhD is an independent scientist and ecological consultant from Big Sur, with over 25 years of professional experience in the fields of biogeochemistry, forest ecology and soil science. He has held scholarly appointments at the University of Colorado, the University of Oxford, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Corey Welles is the Plant Health Care Coordinator at Lotusland. He has seen dramatic improvements in the health of their plant collections since using agroecology based practices.

For more information and to register online go to: www.lacasademaria.org

Dr Lee Klinger interviewed on Sustainable World Radio

Yesterday there was an interview about my work with the trees on Sustainable World Radio. Here is the podcast:

http://www.pdcastsusworldradio.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=517650

I haven’t listened to it yet, but after I do I will post comments as needed.

More coast live oaks on the mend

Here’s further evidence that fire mimicry treatments are helping our diseased oaks. In 2005 I began treatment of two sick coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) growing in acidic soils in Mill Valley, CA. Each of the oaks had thin canopies and bleeding stem cankers. The owner informed me at the time that UC Berkeley scientists had confirmed the presence of Sudden Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum) in trees on the property.

The photos below show how, after four years, the oaks have responded to fire mimicry treatments. The first photo shows a nice recovery of the leaf canopy, and the second photo shows how well the oaks are able to fend off the stem cankers. Bleeding is seen to have completely ceased in one of the oaks in less than four years!


UC scientists and other Sudden Oak Death researchers, those who truly want to help the oaks – we should be talking. Comments, at least?

Using fire mimicry to treat early leaf senescence in California buckeyes

The buckeye (Aesculus californica) is a deciduous tree, low and broad in stature, that is endemic to California. Every year these trees extend their gratitude by offering up a harvest of enormous size nuts. The species is a vital part of the California ecosystem and ever so worthy of our attention. Some even believe that tending the buckeyes is a responsibility passed on to us by the native people, who for the past few thousand years have been tending California’s buckeye groves.

Buckeyes do very well in open forests and savannas, especially in places where fires have been allowed to burn. However, on unburned lands buckeyes are often seen to be in poor health. Where forests are overgrown and acidified the buckeyes are experiencing serious health problems, including stem failure, canopy dieback, and any numbers of leaf blights including anthracnose and sudden oak death.

One of the first symptoms of ill health in buckeyes is the early seasonal onset of leaf senescence. Several years ago an astute friend of mine began noticing that for several years the buckeyes near her home had been losing their leaves earlier than usual. She contacted me about the problem and I suggested we try fire mimicry, the same treatments that I’ve been using on the oaks.

After four years of ongoing treatment here are the results . . .

Coast live oaks responding to fire mimicry

The use of repeat photography to document temporal changes in trees and landscapes was one of the many fine techniques I learned from my PhD advisor Prof. Tom Veblen. He taught me the importance of replicating details such the lens focal length, sky conditions, and time of day. My photos don’t always live up to his standards, but it’s not for lack of trying.

Today I would like to show repeat photographs for several coast live oak trees that have been undergoing fire mimicry treatments for exactly four years. Much of the credit for these results should go to Demetrios Sgouros, Leith Carstarphen, and Daniel Brooke who were among the first tree care specialists to recognize the utility of fire mimicry techniques in helping the many sick oaks here in California.

Fire mimicry effects on Douglas firs

As some of you may have observed, it’s not just the oaks that are suffering here in California. Problems are seen in the pines, the bay laurels, the sycamores, and the redwoods. Douglas firs are sick and dying in many places, especially towards the coast. Symptoms such as a thin canopy, a heavy cover of cryptogams (mosses and lichens), and bark deterioration are consistent with problems in soil fertility due to fire suppression and systemic acidification.

Fire mimicry methods were applied to these two sick Douglas fir trees in Woodside, California in May of 2007, with some additional work in 2008. Below are the photos showing the canopy changes after two years. Sorry, no control trees here, the owners rightly want to keep all their trees healthy.