Shandra planting Monterey Pine SeedlingS/s Seventh Av. between Forest Rd. & Guadalupe St.
Planted Monterey Pine Seedling
Shandra securing Stake & Attached Enclosure
Shandra affixing laminated strip, "THIS TREE IS PUBLIC PROPERTY IN PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY,” to Stake
View of laminated strip, "THIS TREE IS PUBLIC PROPERTY IN PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY"
Planted Monterey Pine Seedling with Stake & EnclosureS/s Seventh Av. between Forest Rd. & Guadalupe St.
View of City’s Non-Potable Water Truck (capacity 500 gallons)This afternoon, Shandra, our City’s part-time tree planter and waterer planted about five trees in Carmel-by-the-Sea’s public rights-of-way. One of the Monterey Pine seedlings was planted on the south side of Seventh Avenue between Forest Road and Guadalupe Street; the planting process was photographed. Shandra was recently hired as a part-time tree waterer on or about February 2, 2009; she joins Kimberly, the other part-time tree waterer. Since that time, Shandra has planted approximately 30 trees, including Monterey Pine, Monterey Cypress and a Canary Pine in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Steve Brooks of Friends of Carmel Forest assembles the stakes and enclosures and makes the laminated strips "THIS TREE IS PUBLIC PROPERTY IN PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY,” while Shandra obtains the seedlings from Carmel Middle School or Rana Creek Nursery and plants and waters the seedlings in locations throughout Carmel-by-the-Sea determined by City Forester Mike Branson.
NOTE: Special thanks to Shandra for taking the time during her planting and watering schedule to provide information about our city's current tree reforestation efforts and her job as part-time tree planter and waterer.
6 comments:
It makes the city council look good when its tree planting program receives publicity like this. In fact, however, the program is so minimal that it's like a bandaid on a gaping wound. We are losing trees in Carmel much faster than they are being replaced. The Friends of Carmel Forest would provide many more trees and even plant them if necessary if the trees could survive. This requires watering them until they're able to thrive on their own. Unfortunately, the city council has been unwilling for years to allocate enough money to water enough new trees to bring the forest back to its original size. The problem will continue to escalate as the largest most mature trees begin to increasingly die off from old age during the next few years.
Shandra reforestation with pine is admirable but in your area there is a problem with wild fires.
You might consider reforesting with a more fire resistant species like paulownia which burns at 425 degrees centigrade.
Paulownia provides excellent firebreaks for the residents of your area plus lovely spring flowers.
For more information on paulownia you might read www.paulownianow.org or for investing in managed paulownia forests www.panampro.com
Thank you for the tree planting pics. And thank you to Shandra for working part-time to restore our urbanized forest.
That said, the city needs to hire 2 full-time tree waterers and planters to water newly planted trees and trees in need of more water than they get by natural means. Come on city, too many trees have been cut down and not replaced these last years, we need drastic action to replenish the trees that have been cut down and not replaced.
That is one of the various advantages of paulownia. It has a deep tap root which rapidly establishes its own environment.
If paulownia can be planted in your area at the beginning of the rainy season there, in four months it will be sufficiently well established to weather a dry season 4-5 months long.
All of this type of information and more can be seen at wwww.paulownianow.org.
The university can even supply your community seeds and technical advice on planting.
Shandra I cannot adequately address the personnel issue for watering but I can assist you to solve the budgetary and irrigation issue.
10,000 paulownia seeds can be bought from the Enoch Olinga College (ENOCIS) for around $1000 USD which will produce upward to 2500 seedlings ready to plant in your community.
After about four months, paulownia will establish their own ecosystem and will not need watering.
Of the 2500 seedlings you put out you should have about 2000 trees surviving your dry season without watering.
Not only will you have lovely trees, a community firebreak but I am also certain your town council will save thousands of dollars in personnel expenses.
For more information on paulownia or purchasing and planting paulownia seeds you may refer to www.paulownianow.org
City Hall has done so much to alienate residents and once concerned residents, it would be refreshing and courteous of the city in this instance to write a letter to residents telling us of the city's tree planting plans. Too much in Carmel is done without city hall being receptive to residents and making residents feel we all have a stake in making Carmel a better place in so many ways.
I have heard of some residents saying they would pull up a newly planted tree if planted in a location, but that is all the more reason to tell residents of the city's plans and try to involve residents as much as possible.
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