Eucalyptus and wind blow downs
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Eucalyptus and wind blow downs
- From: d* f*
- Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 10:13:21 -0800 (PST)
Many fast growing trees are subject to wind blow down
when planted out from nursery containers which have
caused them to develop kinked roots, because they were
not moved up into larger containers at the right time.
With large Eucalyptus, this is especially important.
Starting them from seed sown on site can eliminate
this problem, as can pruning it back to a stump while
young, and then letting it regrow. Checking for
kinked tree roots is something that landscape
contractors and nurserymen should be much more
vigilant about, it would save alot of problems later,
but would also result in much higher rejection rates
of plant materials. Eucalyptus are not the only
culprits, as Acacia melanoxylon and A. longifolia also
seem particularly prone in San Francisco when used as
street trees, and many Monterey Pines/Pinus radiata
are also prone. Rain saturated soils and winds during
storms which differ from the general prevailing winds
are often factors as well.
As to wind breakage, other fast growing weak wooded
trees are also risky, and Grevillea robusta comes
immediately to mind. I would never want either this
tree or a Blue Gum right next to my house or park my
car under it, but if I had the space, both are useful
for large screens at the periphery of a property where
they can do no harm. Wind isn't always the culprit
either, I have seen many mature trees which on a calm
summer's day have suddenly lost a major trunk or
branches, and had this happen in a client's Alameda
garden once, where a 70 foot tall trunk of a 100 year
multiple trunk old Monterey Pine came crashing down
over the lawn and new garden plantings, and
fortunately did no damage at all-rather amazing that!
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