The Burlingame Voice

Spring Treehugger Post: Gimme a double

Happy May Day everyone.  It feels like it has been a long time coming.  I happen to be in Tahoe and there is still a 6-foot snowbank next to my walkway!  Spring skiing has been excellent with enough sunscreen on.  We have a double shot of tree hugging this Spring-- something old and something new.  First up, my brand-new street tree.  The old sycamore had reached its time and the city tagged it for removal and replacement.  It was a smooth operation.  Mark all the utilities which are numerous and very colorfully marked.  Cut it down one day, grind the stump another and plant a new one another day.  We paid the fee to get a larger tree.  Hard to tell from the photo, but my neighbor also got a replacement--standard, no charge size and there is a difference.

The second photo is a lovely apple blossom from my really, really, old Gravenstein apple tree.  A family of squirrels has taken up residence in the trunk, but that has not affected the blossoming thus far.

Euc Watch: Another One Bites the Dust, Another One....

Another one bit the dust today.  I was awakened by the grinding of the giant shredding machine.  No "High Winds or Downed Trees" on this beautiful Spring Day in B'game.  We are indeed "privileged" by our hard work to live here.  One has to wonder if Caltrans' plan is to kill the Euc grove via "death by a thousand cuts"?  I doubt it since that would imply Caltrans has a plan.  But nonetheless, one of the "Big Boys" was levelled this morning.  If you are crossing ECR from the West Side to go to St. Catherine's (first stop) or walking downtown, the Big Boy who was your sentinel at the corner is gone.

I got an SMC Alert about something in San Bruno, but the closing of both lanes, both directions of El Camino in B'game apparently didn't qualify for an alert.  Nothing to see here.  The deployment of forces--giant crane, grinder, multiple dump trucks, trailers, etc felt just a tiny bit like they were building a section of high-cost rail in the Central Valley and didn't want anyone to notice.  ECR was fully closed for about 5-6 hours.  One down, 390 to go.  Here's the scene and the healthy stump--at least it looks healthy to me.

High Winds, Downed Trees

The windstorm that blew through two days ago took down a lot of trees in the County.  Per the DJ article

More than 50 trees and 62 power structures fell or were damaged and 42,000 Pacific Gas and Electric customers were still without power midday Wednesday from high winds that swept through the Bay on Tuesday.

None were more dramatic than the redwoods that went down at BHS.  I was able to get a short video from a friend (not sure of the original videographer) that caught the action as one tumbling redwood took down another.  In total, four went down at BHS and Washington Park.  One Euc apparently went down on Easton and the city is worried enough about three more that they are coming down proactively.  Oddly enough, so far the 390 on El Camino Real held up under the crazy wind loads above 60 mph!  They must not be that unhealthy.  Check out the video and you may have to play around with your sound settings, but the audio is there.

Download BHS tree falling

And check out the size of the trunk and roots

Update 2/28:  PG&E reportedly repaired 200 downed power poles in San Mateo County and among the businesses that had their signs uprooted was this local landmark.

91% of 390 Trees is a Lot of Trees

Last night's big confab with Caltrans and city officials regarding the El Camino Real renewal project was eye-opening for a lot of people.  Probably not regular Voice readers since we have discussed it in 2021 here and here.  The most eye-opening statement made last night was during the Q&A when Caltrans was asked how many of the giant Eucs were scheduled to be cut down.  The answer was "about 9% will remain".  There are about 390 of the historic ones in the 3-mile stretch.

The other way to phrase that is 91% of 390 Eucs will be taken out.  That's 355 giant trees.  Buried in the details of compacted soil, broken sidewalks, retaining walls, sight triangles, sulfur fungus, poor trimming around the power lines, etc is the lead:  355 eucalyptus trees are history--well, we thought they were historic since the grove is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but really they're just history.  There will be 35 survivors who will stand in testament to their fallen brethren and to the ECR that once was.

There were a number of long-time B'gamers there and one that I had not seen in at least 6 or 7 years came over after the Q&A and asked the Big Questions.  He asked "how many people know about this?  And what are they gonna do when they find out?"  I've been asking myself the same question.  Another knowledgeable long-time local has asked 30 people if they are aware of the tree situation over the last few days.  General awareness is close to nil. 

This project has been in the works for years.  Maybe Caltrans and the city hasn't had a good idea of how many trees would have to go, but they do now.  In the interest of transparency, shouldn't the city send out the short, to-the-point notice that this is coming?  You bet.  Then wait for the outrage to arrive.

I'll double back with more on the proceedings soon.  There were numerous displays and a tabletop exercise looking at the Hillside and Bayswater intersections with measurements, planning tools and tree options.  In the meantime, here is Mayor Brownrigg introducing the B'gamers who are on the ECR task force with some Caltrans people seated behind.

Fall 2022 Treehugger Post

I try to stick to B'game and our trees for the Spring and Fall treehugger posts like last year that you can find here.  But this time around, a stunning pair of brilliant trees in the Baywood section of San Mateo just stopped me in my tracks.  They are near the famous Baywood tree that the neighborhood is named after.  Even a native New Englander was taken by these gorgeous examples.

Commissioners' dinner returns

Another pre-Covid Burlingame tradition made its return last night when the annual Council-Commissioners' Dinner was emcee'd in person by mayor Ricardo Ortiz and city manager Lisa Goldman.  This has been a fun event for decades offering the opportunity to get to know new commissioners from the various city bodies and, most importantly, to recognize outgoing staff, councilmembers and commissioners.  It's a small thank you for their service.  Past councilmembers (and their partners) get to tag along, too.

The agenda is a short intro from the mayor which Ricardo delivered.  He focused on the hope that we can accommodate growth without losing the charm and livability that we all enjoy...or enjoyed.  It's a hope that is going to take some hard work to achieve given the pressures from Sacramento and the economy.  Then each commission chair introduces their colleagues and recognizes anyone leaving the commission.  Notable departures mentioned last night came from the Planning Commission--long timer Richard Terrones and William Loftus.  We also heard from the Measure I Oversight committee chair, Mary Hockeridge, and the Storm Drain Oversight committee chair, Eric Klein.  It was fun learning that Rena Gilligan has taken over for Joe Galligan as our representative on the San Mateo Mosquito & Vector Control District.

The two biggest bits of recognition came for outgoing city arborist, Bob Disco, and outgoing councilmember Ann O'Brien Keighran who both got resounding rounds of applause.  Bob's been a popular caretaker in this City of Trees for years and is retiring.  Ann's tenure on the Planning Commission and City Council will get a full recognition at the December 19th council rotation which is scheduled to also happen live in council chambers.  Here's Ricardo Ortiz at the mic.

B'game better than "Climate best by government test"

If you grew up with oppressive summer heat and humidity like I did, you really appreciate how nice the weather is in B'game.  Yesterday was a perfect example.  It was on the verge of being uncomfortably hot and a bit humid here.  High temperature was 88.  But down in Redwood City, with its motto "Climate best by government test", their temperature topped out at 100 degrees.  Yuck.

And the Chronicle noted "Livermore recorded 102 degrees Tuesday afternoon, according the National Weather Service. Fairfield reached 105 degrees, and Vacaville hit 102 degrees."  Double yuck.  I haven't seen any reports of brownouts yesterday, but we aren't done yet.  When the "Burlingame For All" people reappear, remember why people pay extra to live here and why it's worth it.

It is also time for the annual summer check-up on my ancient pear tree.  The yield goes back and forth year-to-year like last year.   The year before was a low yield too, but we had good harvests the two prior years.  This year I count eight, but they are already big and beautiful, so now we try to outwit the squirrels by letting them ripen, but not too much.

El Camino is "fixed"; who knew?

I enjoyed getting submissions from Voice readers--keep 'em coming please.  This one was particularly entertaining (at first) and then triggered the usual who-are-they-kidding response.

Who knew?  The "concern has been addressed" so no one will lose anymore teeth on ECR.  I guess that also means we do not need to cut down all the trees along the state highway and eventually replace them with 24" box trees.  Good to know.

Worrying About Wildfire (Up the Hill)

Yesterday was the longest day of the year and it was especially long if you lived in the Emerald Hills section of Redwood City or the surrounding parts of Woodside.  In addition to the County text alert, I got a couple of texts from friends who were under evacuation orders that didn't last too long, but according to the DJ piece, the fire was not contained last night:

The seven-alarm Edgewood Fire in the hills of San Mateo County is at 25 acres and was not contained as of Tuesday evening, according to a spokesperson for Cal Fire.  There was one injury to a firefighter and no structures were damaged. A Pacific Gas and Electric substation was threatened and had units on it to ensure fire stayed away from it, Cal Fire CZU Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox said.  Large swaths of San Mateo County were out of power due to a downed PG&E transmission line, the utility said.

I've been worrying about this for sometime as I learn more about woodland management from my experience in Tahoe.  As a member of an HOA in Tahoe, we have put a good amount of time, effort and money into carving out a buffer zone.  Then I drive up Chateau Dr. or Black Mountain Rd in H'borough and I wonder what the Town of H'Borough is doing about all that fuel laying around on the ground.  It's pretty much everywhere you look.  Are we just one lightning strike or foolish act (or crazy arsonist) away from a real problem here "down the hill"?  It sure feels like it.

Download Emerald Hills fire_062122

This is a bit of video from the television coverage of the fire last night.  We will see if the link works.

Water restrictions move to Stage 2

Here's the latest addition to the I Told You So file.  B'game is joining the movement to Stage 2 water restrictions while simultaneously approving ever more new construction--residential and commercial.  The DJ reports that

The City Council adopted the restrictions following a call from state water regulators for local suppliers to enact plans preparing for impending water shortages.  The rules, effective June 10, prohibit “residential and commercial landscapes” from being watered more than two days per week, and between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Washing vehicles is also banned, except for with recycled water.

I'm not sure where you are going to get "recycled water" with enough pressure behind it to actually wash a car, but good luck.  Here's the big red flag for future restrictions

Meanwhile, Hetch Hetchy, the reservoir that supplies water to 2.7 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties, is expected to be full heading into the dry season next year despite below-average snowpack levels, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the agency that owns and operates the system. The question is how much of the water will be available, as negotiations continue that could partially divert it to ecosystems and fisheries in the Bay-Delta, among other uses.

Burlingame Public Works Director Syed Murtuza noted “There will be a lot of staff time dedicated to this effort to conduct inspection, do outreach and respond to complaints.”

It might be good to come up with an answer to the question "Why are we building all this new 'stuff'?" as staff conducts inspections and does outreach.  And we probably should understand why we are going to underwater our trees when the city Urban Water Management Plan tells us there isn't going to be much of a problem even in a five-year drought.

June 17 update.  You probably got a postcard from the city yesterday about the annual water quality report:  www.burlingame.org/waterquality.  Did you notice the license plate on the sweet '68 Camaro?  SAVEH2O   LOL.