Monday, June 09, 2008

FRIENDS OF CARMEL FOREST Advocate Full-Time Tree Waterer & Encourage Carmelites to Send Emails & Attend Budget Meeting in Support of Tree Waterer

WHO: Friends of Carmel Forest
Established in 1989, Friends of Carmel Forest is a non-profit group “committed to the enhancement and perpetuation of Carmel's forest environment. The group encourages greater public awareness and concern for the trees through educational programs and publications as well as tree planting, tree surveys, and other activities.”

WHAT: At the Special City Council Meeting on the 2008-2011 Triennial Budget, urge the City Council to budget for at least one full-time tree waterer to guarantee a healthy and sustained forest.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 @ 4:30 P.M.

WHERE:
City Hall Chambers
E/s Monte Verde St. between Ocean Av. & 7th Av.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA.

HOW:
Attend and speak at the Special City Council Meeting on the 2008-2011 Triennial Budget in support of a full-time tree waterer.

Send an email to City Council Members and City Administrator by clicking on www.carmelforest.org, click on "TAKE ACTION" and then click on “click here to send an email” or send your own email to Mayor Sue McCloud one--cloud93921@aol.com; Vice Mayor Ken Talmage kktalm@aol.com; City Council Member Paula Hazdovac pjhaz@hotmail.com; City Council Member Gerard A. Rose gfitzrose@aol.com; City Council Member Karen Sharp karensharp@yahoo.com; City Administrator Rich Guillen rguillen@ci.carmel.ca.us.

WHY:
The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea’s “urbanized” forest is in a state of senescence. In November 2007, the Friends of Carmel Forest completed survey on city property and found a 20.4% decline in Monterey Pines, and a 36.5% decline in Coast Live Oaks, both native trees. Therefore, many new, young trees need to be planted to replace the hundreds of dead and dying trees which have been removed and are being removed at an alarming rate.

Newly planted, young trees require water to ensure their survival.

“Water is the single most limiting essential resource for tree survival and growth.”

Essential Water
"Of all the resource components of stress impacting tree survival and growth, water stress is the most prevalent. Water is the single most important substance for tree life, comprising 80% of tree substance. All the life processes of a tree take place in water — food making, food transport, food storage, food use, and defense. Water is a reagent in chemical reactions, a chemical bath for other reactions, a transporter, a hydraulic pressure liquid, a coating, buffer, and binder. Water is a universal liquid workbench, chemical scaffold, and biological facilitator."

"Water is essential for tree life. As such, it is aggressively gathered, carefully guarded, and allowed to slowly escape in exchange for work energy. The largest single use of water in a tree is for transport of essential materials from roots to leaves. This transport is called the “transpiration stream” and occurs in columns of dead xylem cells within the last few annual rings of the tree. Living cells surrounding this xylem lift system assist with monitoring the water stream. Clearly, water is critical to this basic process."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
FRIENDS OF CARMEL FOREST
ABOUT US
PROGRAMS
EDUCATION
NEWS
GET INVOLVED
CONTACT US
email: info@carmelforest.org
Phone: 831-624-3208
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 344
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921

The “Signature” Trees of Carmel-by-the-Sea:
MONTEREY PINE
Pinus radiate


COAST LIVE OAK
Quercus agrifolia


MONTEREY CYPRESS
Cupressus macrocarpa

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Kudos to all the individuals who spoke for the full-time tree waterer to care for trees, especially recently planted trees. It is a place to start. Maybe next year, the city will budget for a full-time tree care specialist to plant, water and care for the youngest of Carmel's trees.