Tag Archives: eucalyptus myths

The Very Long Life of Eucalyptus Trees

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

From the time we established this website in 2009, we have battled a series of myths used to attack eucalyptus trees. One of the most pernicious is that the trees are short-lived, and so are dying of old age. We … Continue reading →

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Cal-IPC Eucalyptus Reassessment: Same Result (for Different Reasons)

Posted on July 26, 2014 by

[Edited to Add: Cal-IPC did change the rating in its final version.] The California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) designates eucalyptus as “moderately invasive.” Land managers all over California have used this designation as an excuse to cut down thousands of … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Understanding Eucalyptus in the Bay Area – Dr Joe R. McBride

Posted on July 12, 2014 by

This article has been republished from the  website of the San Francisco Forest Alliance, with permission. (Edited to add: A somewhat different selection of illustrations has been used.) Dr. Joe McBride of UC Berkeley spoke at the Commonwealth Club in … Continue reading →

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John Muir, Eucalyptus, and Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2014 by

On January 2, 1911, John Muir – founder of the Sierra Club and the man who saved Yosemite – sent out this greeting card. It has a painting of a eucalyptus tree, and a poem about the tree: “From eucalyptus … Continue reading →

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Fact Check: Nothing Grows UnderEucalyptus? (Allelopathy)

Posted on September 6, 2012 by

Like most people in the US, we’ve been listening to some of the political speeches and the discussion around them recently. And we’re rather heartened by a newly emerging trend: fact-checking. In the last few months, one “fact” we’ve heard … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, nativism | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

What Adolph Sutro Didn’t Know About the Eucalyptus Forest

Posted on March 12, 2012 by

Mount Sutro Cloud Forest, a century-old forest of eucalyptus, was planted by former mayor and philanthropist Adolph Sutro (1830-1898). Like the larger and better-known Muir Woods, it’s the last remnant of a forest that covered a much larger area – … Continue reading →

Posted in deforestation, Environment, eucalyptus, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest, nativism | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Pt Reyes Light, an Informed Arborist, and Eucalyptus Globulus

Posted on January 6, 2011 by

We saw this interesting article (reproduced here with permission) on the website/ blog Death of A Million Trees, whose tagline is Saving trees from needless destruction in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Pt Reyes Light is a Pulitzer Prize … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Increasing Biodiversity

Posted on May 19, 2010 by

The New Scientist, a well-reputed science magazine, ran an editorial recently headed, “Let’s put an end to biosentimentality.” It argued that “While a few introduced species have wreaked havoc, some biologists argue that most increase biodiversity, both directly and by … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, eucalyptus, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Another Eucalyptus Myth: Bird Death (via Audubon)

Posted on April 12, 2010 by

One of the saddest myths about eucalyptus is that it causes the death of small birds by “beak-gumming.” According to this myth, small birds like kinglets foraging in eucalyptus flowers accumulate gummy residues that suffocate them. It’s all because Californian … Continue reading →

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A Forest Full of Birds

Posted on March 29, 2010 by

Sutro Cloud Forest is always alive with birdsong. We couldn’t identify the birds from their calls; we’re not that expert at birding. We were delighted, therefore, to hear from someone much more knowledgeable. Keith McAllister sent us a list of … Continue reading →

Posted in eucalyptus, Mt Sutro Cloud Forest | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Nativism vs the Environment

Posted on March 8, 2010 by

When most people think of preserving natural areas, they envision saving green growing things from encroachment by parking lots and housing development. Nativists focus on a different agenda – removing non-native plants and substituting natives. What’s wrong with that? Several … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Herbicides, Herbicides: Roundup, Garlon, nativism | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Euca-phobia and Fire Myths

Posted on March 3, 2010 by

This is an extensive excerpt from an article by Peter Gray Scott on the subject of the myths surrounding Eucalyptus and fire [with emphasis added]. It is quoted here with permission. —— One by one, myths about eucalyptus are pitched … Continue reading →

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“Nature in the City”: Tree-huggers vs Tree-killers

Posted on February 19, 2010 by

Recently, we posted a reader’s note about a talk from the organization called ‘Nature in the City’ (NC) on the “urban forest.” (Those are NC’s quote-marks; they apparently don’t believe in urban forests). NC is the parent organization of the … Continue reading →

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Michael Pollan Takes on Native Plant Ideology

Posted on August 27, 2009 by

Someone sent us a New York Times magazine article by author and UC Berkeley professor Michael Pollan, he of the locavore food fame. He describes the storm of letters he received when he published a story about his failed attempt … Continue reading →

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Letter: Grass fires are worse…

Posted on August 9, 2009 by

We received this letter from “Bewildered in Berkeley” in response to David Maloney’s letter exonerating eucalyptus in the 1991 Oakland fire. ———— Thanks for telling us about the Oakland-Berkeley Mayors’ Firestorm Task Force analysis of the cause of the 1991 … Continue reading →

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Task force report: Trees are not a Primary Fire Hazard

Posted on August 8, 2009 by

David Maloney, a member of the Task Force investigating the 1991 Oakland Hills fire confirms that even there – in Oakland’s climate of more extremes and less humidity than Mt Sutro’s cloud forest – trees were not the primary problem. … Continue reading →

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