Four years ago I was contacted by some concerned folks about a very sick oak on their property in Carmel, CA. When I inspected the oak in 2014 I told the owners that I did not think it could be saved, but offered to do what I could to help if they so desired. Fortunately, the owners agreed, and after several years of fire mimicry treatments this coast live oak is showing clear signs of recovery. Note that the current photos show the oak after most of the dead branches have been recently pruned, and the light conditions are different. Still, it is clear to me that this oak is showing significant improvement in canopy density. My lesson here is to trust the property owners and simply do what I can to help the oaks, no matter how futile I think the attempt may be,
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