Caltrain give the eucs a major haircut

In a classic case of closing the barn door after the cows have departed, Caltrain has done a "hard prune" of the remaining eucalyptus trees along the railroad right of way.  Of course, doing this before the massive storms and wind that we had in January would have reduced the wind load on the trees and possibly prevented the track closures we endured.  Better late than never I suppose, but one hopes they realize a hard prune means the foliage comes back strong.  Better put another trim on the calendar for October or November 2023.

Update:  In a classic case of what happens when you assume something--you make an ass of you and me--I stand corrected on who closed the barn door.  I'm told this part of the euc grove is actually owned by the city unlike the part of the grove that is north of Oak Grove; which is Caltrain's and some other agencies' section.  These had been pruned a bit but never topped and thus were quite tall.  I'll leave the title of the post as is to avoid confusion and so it's clear where we are talking about.

Comments

[hollyroller@ gmail.com]

There are @ 100 things wrong with doing this type of "Tree Maintenance" that effects our community. And will for many years to come.
Nevertheless, removing the trees, was not an option. 100% Politics won over Science once again.

[Kirk]

I noticed that they removed some of the big Eucalyptus trees on Burlingame Ave near the rec center and tennis courts. And they I noticed that they planted new Eucalyptus trees there. I couldn't believe it. Why did they do such a foolish thing. There are much better tree choice options. Was this a good idea? Am I missing something?

[hollyroller@ gmail.com]

That is a very good question Kirk.
By the time these "New Eucs" are 10-15 years old. The people who chose these trees will be "long gone."
Not my problem.
It is very important to inform all the COB people, especially, Homeowners, the Benefit/Loss of trees planted now.

[HMB]

Maybe because of the effects of eucs on the soil they replanted eucs? Or they want to preserve animal habitat? Are they replacing perhaps with a different species of euc that has fewer issues? Any plant biologists, soil experts, ecologists, etc. on this forum that can shed some insight???

[Jennifer Pfaff]

'Not an expert, but I can offer a bit of information on the trees planted there. These are a subset of the eucalyptus family...with a different genetic composition.

Whereas there are about 800 types of eucalyptus, this subset contains about 100 --the type being planted is smaller, easier to manage, and is climate change adaptable- drought tolerant--and they are pretty, to boot. Though they are more typical south of SLO, you can find new plantings in many areas of San Francisco, too.

Wildlife--The samples (of lemon gum trees) that have been planted a few years ago are already are full of white flowers in the spring and there are birds and bees all over them. This particular sort also repels mosquitos.

It's interesting to note that soil samples were taken about 6 years ago (as part of the Caltrans Project Scoping) from various planter strip areas on El Camino Real to see if the soil was somehow effected by more than a century of eucalyptus plantings, various and sundry types of garbage, including regular old-fashioned car emissions with lead and such.

The soil was completely in a normal range. Here is a thought--maybe there is something in euc soil that actually can clean up bad stuff in the surrounding dirt (?) No clue, I'm just relaying information.

Sometimes plants just don't thrive in a shady environment under other trees. I've got a big redwood, and not much grows under it, either, even acid loving stuff everyone claims should grow well there.

As an aside--
Geez Holly, you are 'killin' me-- a couple of these are already 15 or so years old, and I'm still around...(sorry to disappoint), though I won't take your remark personally--there is too much of that going on in this forum already.

[hollyroller@ gmail.com]

That is what makes this site so fun.
RE: Euc Soil Structure
Most N. Cal "Coastal Forests" have a "shed" very high Ph. Replacing any Tree that does not thrive in that soil can only be a "ornamental specialty" Tree.
These "trees" require "Maintenance." Their life span is anywhere from 6 Months to 15 years. Giant Eucs HAVE to be considered as a ECR Replacement. In honor of the the "Fallen."

[HMB]

Thank you, Jennifer. And Holly too for keeping things "Fun" and "Interesting"