Re: Oakland Hills about to get clear cut

I am beyond shocked...
strawberry and claremont canyons alert

you can click the link in the article to submit a comment regarding this impending disaster

Good. I'm glad they're doing it. The article neglected to mention that the trees being cut down are invasive Eucalyptus trees. The area these trees are growing in at one time had some of the largest coastal redwoods in the state. They were mowed down and replaced with Eucalyptus. Anyone knowing about these trees knows that NOTHING but poison oak grows under them. The oils in them makes them burn fast and hot. The oily leaf litter beneath them can be over a foot thick. Hiking in this sterile monoculture is depressing.

Eucalyptus is fine in Australia, but in Oakland hills; kill them.

Hey Dave,

I was predicting a response from you first, thanks for doing so. I agree the Eucalyptus is a pest, it causes rot and fungus unhealthy conditions, but using a strong herbicide seems over the top in a populated area IMO. This area was not part of the Oaklnad Hills fire so it seems excessive too. If the Eucalytus is gonna get put down in the bay area we have to find a healthier way.

Be safe y'all

Many years ago while living in the Sierra foothills the Bay area experienced a massive Eucalyptus kill due to frost. They clear-cut most of it and offered the heavier pieces of wood free as firewood for anyone who had the means to haul it away. I brought an entire pick-up truck of it home and made the mistake of letting it dry prior to trying to split it up. After it dried it's tight swirling grain took on the consistency of iron. My splitting maul just bounced off it! I ended up chain sawing groves in the top of each piece in order to support splitting wedges,---the only way I could split them, with a sledge hammer. Later I discovered the wood was so dense it would not burn by itself and had to be used judiciously with other types of wood before it would catch fire and burn. Never again.

What are they doing with the wood that was clear-cut this time? Anybody know?

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tomdisco
What are they doing with the wood that was clear-cut this time? Anybody know?

Chipping it, probably. From the article:

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Laura Bruno
Heads up, tree lovers, organic foodies, and Nature lovers, when FEMA wants to chop down 82,000 perfectly healty trees, cover the ground with two feet of wood mulch...

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rroland
Hey Dave,

I was predicting a response from you first, thanks for doing so. I agree the Eucalyptus is a pest, it causes rot and fungus unhealthy conditions, but using a strong herbicide seems over the top in a populated area IMO. This area was not part of the Oaklnad Hills fire so it seems excessive too. If the Eucalytus is gonna get put down in the bay area we have to find a healthier way.

Be safe y'all

It is very popular to hate Monsanto which seems to be the main thrust of the article. Eucalyptus is hard to kill. It keeps coming back. A better way than spraying would be to treat the stump, let it die, then remove it later. Personally, I'd uproot the whole tree, put it in a tub grinder and then sell the mulch. How the tree is dealt with also depends on the slope, access, close to a stream, and much more. I'm sure the use of chemicals could be reduced.