
Happy Earth Day 2022 from Big Sur, CA
22 04 2022Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : Big Sur, Case studies, Fire mimicry, Oak health, Repeat photography
Long-term recovery of a coast redwood tree following construction damage of roots
13 04 2022
I’m often asked whether trees can withstand root amputation by construction activities. Generally, I’ve found that if the trees are tended with fire mimicry beforehand, there is a better chance of their survival. Above is an example of a redwood tree in Los Altos, CA that was treated with fire mimicry before and after construction damage. While the redwood suffered some canopy loss after construction, it has recovered and is now thriving!
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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Peninsula, Redwoods
Long-term response to fire mimicry of cedar trees in Los Altos, CA
13 04 2022
Eleven years ago I began fire mimicry treatments on two Lebanese cedar trees in Los Altos, CA. At the time the owner had been advised by a local arborist that the cedar tree shown in the above photo was diseased and should be removed. Fortunately the owner resisted cutting down the tree and contacted me. I proposed treating this cedar (above) and another nearby cedar (below) with fire mimicry. At the time I had mainly been treating oaks and did not know if the cedars would respond in the same way. I’m happy to say that, after 11 years, the cedars are thriving!

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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Peninsula, Repeat photography
Five years of surgical wound recovery in a coast live oak
13 04 2022
As I’ve shown in several recent posts (here and here), results are starting to accumulate regarding the efficacy of surgeries to remove stem canker infections (including Sudden Oak Death disease) in oaks. Five years ago I performed fire mimicry treatments and a stem canker surgery on a coast live oak in Los Altos, CA. I have returned every year since to track the progress of the wound recovery, and whether any infection remained. The set of photos presented here indicate that after only 5 years the surgical wound has healed closed with no sign of further infection. I’m calling this one a win!





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Categories : Fire mimicry, Oak health, Repeat photography, Sudden Oak Death, Surgery
Minor stem canker surgery on an ancient coast live oak in Atherton, CA
6 04 2022
Yesterday I did fire mimicry treatments and a minor stem canker surgery on an ancient coast live oak in Atherton, CA. The surgery went well and the prognosis for this oak is very good. Here are photos showing the various steps and tools used for the surgical procedure …


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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Oak health, Peninsula, Sudden Oak Death, Surgery
Fire mimicry treatment and surgery on a coast live oak in Kentfield, CA
5 04 2022
In 2018 I began fire mimicry treatments on a grove of coast live oaks in Kentfield, CA. One of the oaks started showing signs of a stem canker infection (probably Sudden Oak Death disease) in 2019. So I performed a surgical procedure to remove the canker, and have continued to treat this oak with compost tea, mineral-rich soil fertilizers, and limewash. Here are photos of the surgery and recovery of the wound and canopy. Be sure to look at the last picture of this series …


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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, North Bay, Oak health, Repeat photography, Sudden Oak Death, Surgery
A stem canker surgery and recovery in Big Sur, CA
4 04 2022
Several years ago I started fire mimicry treatments on a coast live oak in Big Sur, CA. The treatment included stem canker surgery, as well as soil fertilization and limewash application. Here is a set of photos showing both the surgical procedure and progress of recovery of the wound and the canopy health of the oak. Be sure to look at the final photo of this sequence!


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Categories : Big Sur, Fire mimicry, Oak health, Repeat photography, Sudden Oak Death, Surgery
More photos showing a surgery on a stem canker infection in a coast live oak
4 04 2022
Here are a set of photos showing a surgical procedure on a coast live oak in Santa Cruz, CA infected with a stem canker disease (probably Sudden Oak Death). This is a good example of a major infection that appears minor at the surface. The surgery ended up being fairly large for a tree this size, but I do believe the oak will recover.




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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Oak health, Santa Cruz, Sudden Oak Death, Surgery
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