Re: Monterey Pine

I live near one of the native stands of Monterey pine, and the two native stands of Cupressus macrocarpa (which we call Monterey Cypress, despite being in Carmel's territory), and both are incredibly common trees for people to plant (although in recent years people have been going for more interesting trees, in my opinion). They are actually "non native" where I live, and the cypresses seem to have been the tree of choice the Military planted along the border fence for the former Fort Ord.Neither are known for being particularly prone to blowing over or dropping branches however. There are many mature specimens around town standing on their own and they've withstood the big wind events we've had. By far, the most fall/branch drop prone trees here are the Eucalyptuses, Acacias, and Myoporum laetum.
 
I think a lot of the popularity of Monterey pine and Monterey cypress here is that these are very fast growing trees. They can grow several feet in one season, and the pines are especially fast growing. The seedlings that came up after the 1986 Pebble Beach fire are at least 40 feet /12 meters tall and unless you knew a fire swept through that area you can't tell. Monterey cypresses also tend to be deep rooted, not pushing up pavement even after many decades (the base of some trunks seem to "melt" over concrete that was laid around them. Of course, fast growth means a short life, and it's only a matter of time before the trees senece and die. Pacific Grove seems to have taken a pro-active approach and planted seedling cypresses at the base of the oldest trees at Lovers Point.
 
Unfortunately, with pine pitch canker hitting trees hard, the pines have become far less popular, and i'm seeing people planting things such as the Marina variety of Arbutus unedo instead.  

On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 1:52 AM, Pamela Steele <p*@re-taste.com> wrote:
Dear Alison
 
You will have seen the huge plantations of Pinus radiata in the New Zealand North Island grown in place of native endemic trees for timber export and pulp and paper industry.  Also, most trees grown on sheep farms throughout New Zealand (initially put there for wind protection) are Pinus radiata or macrocarpa.  Both of these when individually grown can break limbs and fall over in high winds.   The New Zealand countryside is littered with them.  In my observation in NZ and here in the Costa Blanca, pines need to be in stands or groups for their own protection (as in the plantations).    Immediately cutting down some pines from a stand makes the others very vulnerable.  It is a sad thing here people cutting down these beautiful trees (Pinus halepensis) for spurious reasons and then suffering the consequences...just a thought.
 
Best
Pamela
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