LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It’s hard to look at the burned properties on Cobb Mountain or in Middletown without feeling the urge to do something – anything – to bring back an ever-so-small semblance of the former glory of a mature tree canopy.
Since it's Christmas season, it seems like a no-brainer that buying a living Christmas tree and planting it after the holidays would be a great way to celebrate a holiday tradition and turn it into a first step toward “reforestation.”
This can certainly work under the right conditions. Here is what those “right conditions” would look like:
1. The tree is a species that’s either native to Lake County and found on Cobb, or has been observed to do well there in the recent past (under drought conditions).
2. It is kept in good shape over the holidays, in a relatively cool room or outside, and the root ball kept from drying out.
3. It is planted outside as soon as possible after the holidays, watered deeply after planting and watered regularly for at least the first year after planting. In spring, that means about once a month and in summer about once a week.
4. It is protected from any still-occurring logging or construction operations nearby with a fence or by other means.
Unless these conditions can be met, the tree is not likely to survive and will not only be an additional eyesore, but a waste of funds and another disappointment for people who’ve suffered enough disappointments.
If the tree is meant for a property that burned, the infrastructure – including water lines, wells, etc. – might be gone.
There may be nobody living on the property for the next couple of years, considering how long it will likely take to rebuild and given that the property in question can even meet the requirements for rebuilding (such as many parcels in Anderson Springs), and the owners are willing and interested.
How is water going to be supplied to the tree for the coming year or two during the dry months? Since this tree didn’t grow in its spot from a seedling, it doesn’t have the root system to survive a California summer, native or not.
Properties that didn’t burn usually don’t need more trees. The number of trees per acre on Cobb was already very much in excess of what the local ecosystem – especially given the drought conditions – can support.
This excess of water-stressed trees encourages bark beetle infestations and uncontrollable wildfires. We don’t want to recreate the same conditions that led to the problem in the first place.
So here is a word of caution to all the Christmas tree donors and planters out there: Only plant what you’re confident you can take care of until it’s ready to survive without your help.
Donating a tree is a wonderful act of generosity, but somebody needs to adopt it for a year or two, otherwise you’re donating a soon-to-be-dead tree. Make sure you find that somebody.
Most of the burnt oak trees will resprout after fire and have the advantage of an extensive root system to feed the new growth.
The seeds of many native shrubs and conifers have survived the fire and will sprout after the rains. So will most of the native wildflowers.
Creating and maintaining conditions for desired flora to survive is more challenging and time consuming than sowing seeds or planting trees.
This can include judicious thinning out of thousands of conifer seedlings to leave the most robust and well-placed specimens, a process that stretches over several years and requires sustained effort.
This ongoing dedication is the necessary ingredient for success.
For a list of recommended native trees (and other native plants) for Lake County, visit http://celake.ucanr.edu/Master_Gardener/Gardening_in_Lake_County/ .
Gabriele O’Neill and Karole Ward are members of the University of California Cooperative Extension Lake County Master Gardeners Program, headquartered at the Lake County Agricultural Center, 883 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport. Contact the office at telephone 707-263-6838 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , visit the program's Web site at http://celake.ucdavis.edu/Master_Gardener/ or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UCCELakeCountyMasterGardeners .
Master Gardeners offer advice on planting living Christmas trees on Cobb
- Gabriele O’Neill and Karole Ward
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