[Ccpg] blue gum eucalyptus

[ccpg-admin at arashi.com]

Hi,
They R beautiful burning in the fireplace. That is my heat source in winter.
They take about a yr. to dry before burning. A recent article wrote:
EUCALYPTUS
By Bill Denneen
Forty years ago I bought a house on Nipomo Mesa. I was impressed with the
very large beautiful trees growing so abundantly all over the mesa. We had
big elm trees back in Boston where I had come from but looking nothing like
these.

I drove the dirt backroads of the mesa and dug up about 40 of the little
blue seedlings springing up along the dirt roads. I planted them on the
edge of my one acre ranch. Most lived and very soon became large trees.

Trees are not all equal. The blue gums (Eucalyptus globulus) are not native
to Nipomo Mesa. As I walked in the eucalyptus forest I noticed how few
other organisms like birds were there. At this time I joined the California
Native Plant Society and began a study of the oak-woodland habitat.

I found the oak woodland habitat provides GREAT biodiversity: 2000 species
of plants, 170 species of birds, 100 species of mammals, 60 species of
amphibians/reptiles and more than 4,000 species of insects. Eagles,owls,
rators, bobcats, foxes find a 'home' in this rich biome. It once covered
the entire mesa.

Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) covered the entire mesa until it was
found about 1900 to make excellent charcoal for gunpowder. It was replaced by 
Tasmanian Blue Gums (Eucalyptus globulus) which is now being replaced by
development (Developa destructivus).

Eucalyptus are great for biomass production. They are like a corn
crop---plant to cultivate, grow and harvest.  They have the same BTU's
(heat) as oak wood.
To remove the oil just store for a year.  They serve as my main source of heat
in my fireplace insert in winter.

There are over 300 species/kinds of eucalyptus. They grow in a mixed
culture in their native habitat of Austrailia along with their own
associated organisms. In 1853 the seeds of the Tasmanian Bluegum (E.
globulus) were planted on the mesa where the oaks had been removed. No
associated organisms came along with the seeds.

According to Nancy Davis in an article in this Adobe Press in 1976 "The
tree actually did stop malaria in the Bakersfied area, when thirsty roots
took up enough water to dry mosquito breeding places."

About the start of the last century C.Callender, B.Fowler and Pomeroy
planted thousands of these seeds in rows all over the mesa replacing the
burned oak woodland. Foresters from Australia that have stayed at my hostel
are impressed with the one species growing in rows all over the mesa. This
is nothing like their native country where they grow mixed with many
different kinds of organisms------ high biodiversity. On the Mesa it is
called a monoculture----- just one species row on row.

Plants that evolve in an area have adapted to a specific climate, specific
rainfall, specific other organism and even to specific 'pests'. The greater
the biodiversity  (the more kinds of organisms) the more stable the
community---that is a basic biological principal. The fewer the species
(e.g. lettuce
crop) the less stable it is; that is why a specific crop needs plowing,
herbicides, pesticides, fertilizer to bring the crop into production. It is
an attempt to maintain one level of succession until harvest time.

The Nipomo Mesa has the largest stand of  bluegums outside of Australia. It
is a monoculture ready to collapse. Potential causes of this collapse: a
heavy freeze, a fire, insects or all three at once. A few of the most
recent pest arrivals: Longhorn borer, Snout beetle,and gum psyllid fly. All
of these can attack/weaken/kill eucalyptus (and no I didn't introduce them).

Our present technological culture has great mobility. In one of my Biology
classes following Cristmas Holidays we mapped where  class members had
been---essentially it was all over the planet. It was amazing. We move
insects,plants, bacteria all over the place by car, train, boat and plane
vectors. We are an extremely mobile culture. I would guess that most
Chumash that used to live here never went beyond their own little valley.

A few problem 'exotics' are: red grass, Russian thistle, poison hemlock,
California thistle in Australia, pampas grass, yellow star thistle, crab
grass, rabbits in Australia, starlings, salt cedar, Dutch grass in the
dunes and people everywhere.  The list grows each year.

The last eucalyptus on my properety was cut down 6 years ago. It still
provides warmth in winter in my fireplace. To me that is when eucalyptus
are the most beautiful---burning in the fireplace.  


At 07:22 AM 8/4/01 -0700, you wrote:
>
>>Hi everyone
>          Wonder if someone can help give some advice to a Permaculturist 
>up San Francisco area on guilds for Australian blue gum
>eucalyptus,
>                         thanks wes
>
>>Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2001 12:51:21 -0700 (PDT)
>>From: Josho Somine <josho23 at yahoo.com>
>
>>hey Bay Area is plagued by Australian blue gum
>>eucalyptus, and so is my permaculture school garden.
>>I'm wondering if they know of any beneficial plants,
>>guilds, or strategies that work with eucalyptus....
>>any advice at all would be much appreciated.
>>
>>osho
>>
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Certified Tree Hugger.
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