GET RID OF THEM!

We hear many people speak of Eucalyptus out of fear. They say things like: “They are non-native weeds! They should all be removed!” Yes, they are non-native and they are everywhere throughout California. Please consider, it would be impossible to remove them all, and think about what our landscape would look like if we did? And then, think about the consequences of clear cutting: megatons of carbon emisssions which goes staight to greenhouse gasses and megatons lost in carbon capture. Does this make sense during climate change? Then think full circle on this- massive herbicides needed to prevent re-growth washing into our watershed polluting the streams, soil, and the ocean where people surf, swim and fish. Then, think about the loss of habitat and ecosystems that have developed to live in these forests overtime. They are naturalized trees. They may cause problems, but it causes many more problems to remove large sections at a time. We ask people to consider their rhetoric when speaking about these trees. Let’s think of a more educated and balanced way to talk about them. Let’s look at their benefits and their problems. It is not all or nothing. We need to find balance. That is what nature does. Humans have trouble living in harmony with nature. We tend to want to dominate and organize everything around us, and many times that kills off nature and in turn leads to problems for us. We can’t see how we directly affect ourselves in this circle. We are too short sited.

THE NATIVE PLANT ONLY MOVEMENT

There is a movement in the government to remove non-native or “invasive” plant species from parklands. The theory is that if non-natives are removed, natives will grow back. Some claim this works in certain areas and it sometimes does. However, has this been taken too far? We should always question government agencies. The plan for Quarry Park is to remove and thin out many Eucalyptus trees without planting any natives or other trees back. You can see the what the massive removal of trees has left there. They use words like Eucalyptus eradication as a term for future plans. Fire breaks are important, but research shows that the more you remove trees and fuel loads deeper into the forest, the less fire prevention impact you will have on a nearby town.. Also, the 2022 Scoping Project stated that Quarry Park is not a high risk wildfire area based on the shape and topography of it. The County logic is that trees did not exist here 100 years ago, so any tree in this area would not be native. They think it all needs to return to scrub brush. But what about how the landscape looked 1000 years ago or 10,000 years ago. Why stop at 100 years? What was native then, does not necessarily thrive here anymore and we are not considering the climate has changed. GGNRA park service is currently cutting down all trees in the Rancho Del Corral De Tierra because they say they are returning all to native grass lands and trees don’t mix with the native grasses. At least they are replanting native grasses there. And what does this mean for the Cypress Tree Grove at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve? By the same philosophy, we should take those out too? Do we really want them to take trees out of the parks? Does this make sense to re-do the landscape releasing megatons of carbon, to promote and native only landscape? We don’t want tree shade in the parks anymore? Does it make sense during climate change to release this much greenhouse gas carbon into our atmosphere by removing megaton carbon sequestering trees? What about finding a way for natives and non-natives to co-exist without wiping out one entire species because WE think that is what is best for nature? Haven’t we made too many mistakes like this before trying to wipe out a “bad” species only to realize later the benefits we lost from added diversity? El Granada Advocates thinks natives and non-natives can co-exist while we keep non-natives in check by pulling saplings and collecting seeds, thinning out small trees, but keeping large Mature trees that sequester massive amounts of carbon.

EUCALYPTUS FIRE THREAT

These trees have been described as torches that will 100% set your house on fire in a wildfire. Is this hype? Did you know your home is more flammable than a Eucalyptus tree? Think about the petroleium products and dried wood most homes are made from. Look at the facts about the Paradise fire and the Scripps fire below. Could trees and especially Ecalyptus trees be a scapegoat for the government or big business failings in massive wildfire tragedies? Is it really the trees fault? We can hold ourselves accountable and create defensive space around our homes and make fire resistant improvements to our homes. We can also volunteer for CERT (our local Community Emergency Response Team) to be alerted to and help with emergencies in the community. There are risks to living in such a beautiful area so intertwined with wild lands and nature. We knew those risks when we moved here. If some people find it too stressful to live here because of those risks, they should seriously reconsider where they live. You cannot cut down all the trees around you to save yourself and expect to live in a beautiful spot.