Learning to Live Among the Oaks
(first published in SLO County Gazette Weekend, April 13, 2000)
by Rick Mathews
Just as a healthy community consists of people of all ages, a healthy urban or community forest must also have trees of all ages. (While we are discussing trees here, it should be mentioned that they are only the most obvious members of our incredibly diverse local ecosystems.)
While the Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) seems to be regenerating in adequate numbers, this is not the case with Valley Oaks (Quercus lobata) and Blue Oaks (Quercus douglasii). Regeneration rates for both species are alarmingly low.
Fire hazard abatement, development, agricultural clearing, grazing, wildlife predation and wildland fires are a few of the reasons for these regeneration problems. Many of these can be corrected through the efforts of an aware community, dedicated to protect their native forests. We all love these mighty oaks that so beautifully define the character of California’s Central Coast, but we cannot continue to take them for granted.
Oak woodlands are disappearing at a rate of about 14,000 acres a year statewide, according to the California Oak Foundation. Add to that the insufficient regeneration rates of several oak species, and we appear to face the disappearance of these trees before we know it. The Atascadero Native Tree Association encourages everyone to join in and take the responsibility of helping regenerate the growth of our oaks, so that the next generation of these trees, along with all the other plants and critters, are here for future generations of Central Coast residents to enjoy.
Here’s what you can do around your homes, to actively protect native trees as seedlings throughout the year:
Spring
Look around your property for new seedlings and install shelters where trees are desired.
Hand-weed around the seedlings before fire hazard abatement, and mulch.
Summer
Check mulch, and water when necessary.
Fall
Collect acorns for later planting. Locate and stake established seedlings and install shelters.
Winter
Plant those acorns you collected in the fall. Carefully weed around seedlings and again, check the mulch.