Re: Planting something more appropriate

>> the problems ... with
>>>invading species.

>        Oooh!!  You touched a nerve.   Acacia melanoxylon!!   I have one in
>front of a fourplex I own here in San Luis Obispo. It is a full grown
>mature tree. The limbs have me concerned because they are so big and long
>and hang over things that could be damaged if they broke off.
>        What I would like to know from you experts, is this tree becoming
>something I must worry about? What is the usual behavior of this tree when
>it gets large? The city won't let me cut it down at this time but I'm going
>to get a professional tree man to remove some of the weight from some of
>the limbs. I would appreciate any constuctive advice anyone feels they can
>give!! ---Chas---{San Luis Obispo, CA}


Two things re AM:
        1.  I used to advise my arboriculture students to visit the local
disposal sites on Washington's Birthday to watch the AM branches trucking
by on the backs of pickup trucks.  We get high winds around that time (late
February) and, dependably, AM limbs will come crashing down on garages,
sidewalks and such because;
        2.  AM has an ability to germinate in small spaces that no other
tree can match locally.  It is very common in Oakland to see them growing
in tiny cracks in the pavement of a driveway or in the narrow spaces near
homes and garages.  Since they can attain a height of 20' in 3 seasons, and
since the wood, like most fast-growing species, is brittle they cause more
than their share of property damage.

        No need to say what I think you should do with your tree.  Failing
complete removal you might get an ISA(International Society of
Arboriculture) tree service to selectively remove any branches with angles
of attachment under 45 degrees.
Jerry Heverly, Oakland, CA
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