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Home My WebLink AboutSupplemental TO: Planning Commission of Los Altos Hills RE: Eucalyptus trees adjacent to public areas DT: October 12, 2006 I am a resident of Newbridge and moved here in 2004 from San Jose. I cannot attend the Oct 19 meeting;" .however I want -to share with the planning commission some of our thoughts regarding the matter before you. When we purchased our house we had no idea how much maintenance trees require. Clay-"like soil conditions, drainage patterns living on a slope, extremely windy conditions in a valley, and the condition of very old trees on our property require year-round maintenance. During the- past 2 years,, several large trees have been uprooted, large branches have broken off,. and part of a neighbors tree fell on our property.. We have gone to considerable expense trimming, " removing, or stabilizing trees around the perimeter of our property to ensure the safety of not only ourselves, but that of our neighbors. Had any Eucalyptus trees existed on our property, knowing what we know now of tree-related tragedies "in the hills(the recent death of the cylist and the Liddicoat fire of 1985) , we would have willingly had them removed. As parents, it is clearly our obligation to protect the lives of our children, to protect our home. As members of the community, we need to be concerned about the. safety of the neighbors around us. My family and I- spend a great deal of time riding our bikes around town and using the pathway adjacent to "the old stand of eucalyptus trees on Newbridge. We were greatly appreciative of the town's response in removing and trimming dangerous eucalyptus trees after the death of cyclist Dan Plummer. The town should continue to be .proactive in educating property owners about the hazards of these trees "so that this kind of tragedy never reoccurs.. I certainly don't like to see trees removed unnecessarily, but it is clear to that Eucalyptus trees adjacent to public -area - in. the case of the trees on Newbridge, a cul- de-sac and public pathway - should. ,either be monitored and trimmed regularly, or removed if this proves impractical. I support the town's use of ordinances to. remove 'dangerous eucalyptus trees- especially rees-especially those adjacent to public roads and-"pathways: I fully :support the town's obligation to protect not just the lives of its residents but also their property. Thank You, '.Kari Kirk. 26045 Newbridge Dr. October 16,2006 Councilmembers,Town of Los Altos Hills Re: Eucalyptus trees bordering Alex Atkins' property Dear Councilmembers, I am writing in support of the Atkins' request that the Town seriously consider its obligation to mitigate or remove the real dangers(fire hazard as well as tendency to topple and drop limbs)that the Eucalyptus trees located on 26030 Newbridge Drive pose to public safety. Specifically the Atkins'have requested that the large trees close to his property line be removed since they have caused damage to his property over the past decade. To date,only five of the sixlarge eucalyptus trees have been removed. As an attorney and practicing real estate broker on the mid-Peninsula,I have seen nothing but destruction and damage caused by Eucalyptus trees. As we all know,these are non- native trees with vigorous growth and shallow roots that are ill-suited for the clay-like water saturated soil in the hills.At best,these trees cause destruction and damage.with all of their falling debris, and at worst pose a danger to people and property in windstorms. We wereall as a community saddened by the nonsensical death of a bicyclist who fell victim to a large Eucalyptus tree and I commend the Town for passing an ordinance to address this nuisance and danger.Moreover during the hot summer months,these trees pose a significant fire risk because these trees literally explode, sending burning embers thousands of yards, igniting new fires.Eucalyptus trees were the fuel for the Liddicoat fire in LAH in 1985, destroying 9 homes. With respect to the Atkins property,I have personally seen how much.these trees sway in the lightest windstorm, sending extensive debris on his property,but posing a great danger to property and life should they snap off and tumble into his property(as they have done so in the past). What is most alarming is the size of these'trees and how full they are,making it a strong likelihood that in the next storm the tree closest to his property line(located near the swale)with a massive upper canopy will cause major damage to the Atkins' property. I am surprised that any property owner would dismiss the extensive evidence of the dangers of these trees and additionally oppose a neighbor's request to remove such trees when they clearly pose a significant liability.for that property owner. I have personally planted over 100 trees at my own property and as a developer,I personally oversee the landscaping of new homes that my company builds and as a broker 1 see all types of new construction up and down the Peninsula. I can,tell you with certainty that no one in their right.mind plants Eucalyptus trees for any purpose with so many wonderful choices of safe and'beautiful trees that are readily available. The only ftiend of the Eucalyptus tree appears to be the Koala Bear and some misguided former Los Altos Hills politicians who are jumping into the fray for political gain, arguing against all the evidence that these trees are perfectly safe and should be protected. 1 urge you to do the right thing and use your jurisdiction*for the most basic of all reasons --the protection of people and property. Regards, Bob Kamangar 26590 Snell Lane Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 October 18, 2006 To LAH Planning Commission When T hear: myself explaining to friends and visitors why I had the five large eucalyptus trees removed on our property last November, I can only say it was a very heightened sense of danger. The danger of heavy tree limbs falling on my children engaged in their outdoor play and their friends who came over on playdates. Our home should be a safe place for them; as parents we wanted to have,peace of mind.. After the winter storms, it became clear that the trees had to go and urgently I called around tree removal experts and choose the one who promised to start on the project immediately. I could not bear another winter season of frightening uncertainty. I am an avowed lover of trees. In the beginning; when we moved into our home, six years ago, the trees seemed majestic, and untouchable and distant. First there was. the unending debris, which I tried to ignore.Small branches fell occasionally and unexpectedly This;I could not ignore, especiallyone large branch poised over my patio,that creaked in the wind, waiting to fall on my home and children. I cautioned my children to stay out of the area, even considering placing caution.tape around the trees. In the end, my husband and I`knew they had to go for the sake of our childrens safety..I must admit, I did feel a bit sad seeing them,reduced to sawdust, but.I have gained peace of mind throughout the year-- something.I never,had before.. Currently, we are working with our gardener to plant liquid ambers on. the graveyard of our eucalyptus trees.They will add beauty without the very real danger'of toppling; dropping limbs, or being a fire hazard. I urge any parent to consider the safety of their family, their home, and the.safety of their neighbors before they consideni ng.retaining or planting these dangerous non-native trees. I also supportthe town eucalyptus ordinance and the removal of these trees that are near public roadways and pathways. Vileena Nagaraj 25769 Elena Road Los Altos Hills 94022 oto n . o co A �kin �. YV ..,.-- 'A Y..- . _ r �ew w- - ;1 'l VCG4-e%es Or 04 ... amu ; i From: Mattas, Steve [mailto:smattas@meyersnave.com] Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 4:41 PM To: Debbie Pedro_ Cc: Carl Cahill Subject: Planning Commission Item Debbie, You asked whether the Planning Commission has the authority to require removal of eucalyptus trees in the public right of way as part of a landscaping screening permit.The short answer is that while I do not believe removal of the trees can be compelled as part of a landscaping screening permit or under the Town's public nuisance ordinance, maintenance of the trees can likely be required as a condition of the landscape screening permit. The arborist's conclusion that structural deficiencies in the trees will "become hazardous over time" is unlikely to be sufficient to declare the trees a nuisance under the Town's public nuisance ordinance. That ordinance generally requires a tree to be dead, diseased, infested, or in danger of becoming infested, before removal can be compelled as a public nuisance. The Town can, however, require private maintenance of the trees as part of the landscape screening permit. Such authority is expressly granted in the Municipal Code. (See LAHMC, section 12-2.201, subd. (b).) Requiring such maintenance not only contributes to the viability of the trees, but is consistent with the purposes of the screening permit, as well. Furthermore, the LAH Municipal Code already requires the owner of property abutting a street in which trees grow,to care for and maintain the trees. (See LAHMC, section 12-2.201, subd. (a).)Therefore, imposing such a condition as part of the landscape screening permit is consistent with the requirements of the Municipal Code. Please share this information with the Planning Commission as necessary. Regards, Steve Mattas, City Attorney 10/19/2006 From: Robert Berry [mailto:rberry@alterpoint.com] Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 3:44 PM To: Debbie Pedro Subject: Letter to the Planning Commission Debbie per our discussion a few hours ago - To: Los Altos Hills Planning Commission 10/18/2006 Re: Andrews' Landscape Screening permit Fr: Robert & Sandra Berry / Newbridge Drive This letter is to inform the Planning Commission and Town Council that we support the approval of the Andrew's Landscape Permit. Due to the number of tree's already removed from the Andrew's property, we request that no other trees are removed so as to maintain the private setting of Newbridge Drive. Upon entering Newbridge Drive from La Paloma, the remaining Eucalyptus tree's that border our property and screen all traffic entering Newbridge from the new construction of the Andrew's residence, provide screening that would otherwise make Newbridge look like a new home tract, and diminish the value and appeal of the Newbridge setting. It is already quite barren. 10/19/2006 Glacier Page 2 of 3 41 NAM ILI Y s r f ' tire' tee- icy Should there be any debate as to the safety of Newbridge Drive due to any trees on the Andrew's property, please consider the following: 1) In early 2004, we worked with our neighbors, George and Dot Scalise to remove 3 extremely large Eucalyptus trees that were in front of their home but were located on our property and were greater than 100 years old. They were hanging over power lines, and posed a threat of a fire from falling onto the power lines. Clearly the Scalise's, the township and ourselves could agree then and today, that it would make sense to remove those trees as they posed a threat. It was easy to find a compromise due to it being in a dangerous setting. Also, there was a fig tree bordering the two properties that posed a threat of danger, as it was blocking visibility to the entrance of the cul-de-sac from the Scalise's access. We cut that tree basically in half. The fig tree was in a "dangerous setting". Los Altos Hills Planning Commission (page 2) 10/18/2006 We compromised with the Scalise's, and would have been pleased to include the township in arriving to that conclusion. 2) Conversely, on the Andrews property on the other side of Newbridge, that borders our property, the city and all the Newbridge Drive residents should look at this setting, and review the degree of threat and the degree of risk to the residents of Newbridge Drive. Power lines are now underground on that side of Newbridge; the trees have recently been maintained; and there is no through traffic to other streets. There are only 4 homes and residents that drive past the location of these trees. Not such the case with various trees along Fremont road in front of Bullis, behind Bullis, or all along Purissima. The question is "what is the setting, what is the risk"? 10/19/2006 MEOW Glacier Page 3 of 3 3) The new ordinance regarding eucalyptus makes a lot of sense for all trees that pose any threat to the township and its residents due to its "setting". Please consider a review of the current wording to include any tree that pose a dangerous "setting" to the township. To quote a local Arborist, who we worked with along with 5 other arborists when we were seeking a comprise to remove several eucalyptus trees in 2004 - "Trees can be managed, but they cannot be controlled. To live near trees is to accept some degree of risk. The only way to eliminate all risk associated with trees, is to eliminate all trees." Barrie D. Coate, Consulting Arborist - thank you - Robert & Sandra Berry - Newbridge Drive AlterPoi nt- Network Change & Configuration Management Robert Berry 300 West Sixth VP Worldwide Sales & Support Street Operations Suite 2200 Austin, Texas 78701 tel: 512-415-5987 mobile: 650-224-0847 Add me to your address book... 10/19/2006 FRANCIS A. LA POLL 13420 W. FREMONT ROAD LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA 94022 October 18, 2006 Honorable Chair and Members, Los Altos Hills Planning Commission: I am writing in support of the relatively new, and enlightened, policy regarding eucalyptus trees, and to ask that you apply that policy. In particular, I request that you require elimination of the eucalyptus trees at 26030 Newbridge Drive as a condition of occupancy. Both the red river gum and the box gum are among those indicted as posing a significant fire and habitat threat even in their native Australia. The third, flooded gum (Eucalyptus Grandis, not Eucalyptus Rudis), is discussed by the New South Wales (Australia) Brush Fire Coordinating Committee Policy 6/01 as it expands upon Section 63(4) of Australia's Rural Fires Act of 1997 and said to be particularly vulnerable to fire. I am a strong supporter of private property rights. When, however, the actions of one on private property endanger others a line is crossed. The planting or maintenance of eucalyptus trees, non-native plants more aptly characterized as weeds, poses dangers for all residents of the community, and potential liability for the Town, as well. It is, therefore, appropriate that the Town exercise its police powers acting on behalf of the general welfare of all by removing this danger. The Commission, with findings based on testimony and submissions such as this, can regulate—indeed require removal—of vegetation even without reliance upon the recent ordinance. Eucalyptus trees pose at least two unique dangers. While the limb of a eucalyptus weed recently fell killing a bicyclist during a storm, such trees are prone to losing limbs even in good weather, and with no warning. Large, limb shedding trees are clearly and foreseeably a danger. The trees also present an especial fire hazard. Along with limbs, they also shed particularly flammable bark in great quantities. Perhaps owners could be tasked with cleaning up after their pet eucs, but this would not remove the fire danger. The mere presence of such weeds, wicks atop oil, greatly heightens the risk of a small brush fire turning into a major conflagration. Indeed, they are worse than mere containers of flammable liquid. In hot weather, eucalyptus oil aerosolizes creating a micro environment comparable to that pre-ignition, fuel droplet-laden environment intentionally created by a class of modern U.S. bombs that are particularly effective in being all- consuming, destructive, and horrific. Such conditions have no place near our homes. We all know of the role of such trees in the Oakland Hills fire in 1989, a fire that destroyed more structures than we have homes in Los Altos Hills. We have a similar example of the trees danger closer to home. In 1985, a fire severely damaged and destroyed a number of houses along Arastradero Road between Page Mill and Alpine (sometimes called the "Natoma Road" fire). Eucalyptus trees lining the road were largely responsible for the fire's intensity and spread. Former Los Altos Hills Town Attorney Sandy Sloan just last year in her role as Portola Valley's Town Attorney mentioned the Arastradero/Natoma Road fire, noting that it had started at a home in Los Altos Hills and had jumped to the Preserves along that road before going on to destroy homes. She commented that it had been alleged that the City of Palo Alto had failed to do "fuel management well" and that the City "ended up contributing quite a bit of money." In a discussion about whether to acquire property, she concluded that "if there was a fire, the Town could be sued and would be somewhat responsible depending on the circumstances." (Town of Portola Valley, Minutes, June 22, 2005 Town Council Meeting, Item 8.) (One citizen even noted at the meeting that his homeowners' insurance had been cancelled due to the proximity to trees and fuel on a neighboring property.) The Town is aware of the dangers posed by Eucalyptus trees in proximity to homes, in a relatively rural, and fuel-laden setting. The Town pays hundreds of thousands of dollars extra for the ability to project fire-fighting capability into the Hills with a small vehicle and fire crew. Unfortunately, in a real Hills fire, larger trucks and engines cannot readily maneuver, and the smaller vehicle would be outmatched by anything more than a grassfire. With Eucs, a small grassfire can turn quickly into a conflagration. The Town also is aware of the danger of falling Euc limbs to pedestrians, bicyclists, and even drivers. With dangers so foreseeable, an injured party, or grieving survivor, likely would name the Town in lawsuit. Indeed, according to the Audubon Society (see below), the City of Oakland was hit by a number of lawsuits following the 1989 Hills fire because it had failed to address the euc problem. (See also http://www.igin.com/Landscapinp-/l102outonalimb.html, discussing liability resulting from risk of falling euc limbs, which may be even greater for public entities.) Even if the Town won such suits, the legal fees borne by the city would make the victory Pyrrhic, and those who had lost their homes would not be cheered by the Town's technical non- liability. On the other hand, if the Town lost, receivership might result. Support the staff and Town Council. More important for Los Altos Hills Residents: Eliminate the Danger: Eliminate the Eucs. Sincerely yours, Francis A. La Poll Selected relevant reading material From the Audubon Society(found at http://magazine.audubon.org/incite/incite020l.html) If you smell like a cough drop when you stumble out of the California woods, it's because 100 of the world's 600 species of eucalyptus grow there. None is native. They were imported from Australia during the second half of the 19th century as we were hawking our redwoods to the Aussies. "Wonder trees," the eucs were called, because they shot up in coastal scrub and vast redwood clearcuts. Of the many eucalyptus species that evolved with fire, none is more incendiary than blue gum. "Gasoline trees," firefighters call them. Fire doesn't kill blue gums. Rather, they depend on fire to open their seedpods and clear out the competition. And they promote fire with their prolific combustible oil, copious litter, and long shreds of hanging bark designed to carry flames to the crowns. Blue gum eucalyptus doesn't just burn, it explodes, sending firebrands and seeds shooting hundreds of feet in all directions. Living next to one of these trees is like living next to a fireworks factory staffed by chain- smokers. The only native plants we encountered in the grove were shallow-rooted--mostly poison oak. I stuck my hand in euc leaf and bark litter and couldn't find the bottom; in California it can be four feet thick because the microbes and insects that eat it are in Australia. Native plants that manage to push through the litter often get poisoned; as a natural defense against competition, eucs exude their own herbicide, creating what botanists call "eucalyptus desolation." Plants that are most immune include poison oak and pernicious aliens such as Cape ivy and English ivy. Eventually we heard a single ruby-crowned kinglet. Native birds do use eucalyptus groves, though the Point Reyes observatory has found that species diversity there drops by at least 70 percent. Eucs flower in winter, attracting insects and insectivorous birds. To deal with the sticky gum, Australian honeyeaters and leaf gleaners have evolved long bills. North American leaf gleaners such as kinglets, vireos, and wood warblers have not; so the gum clogs their faces, bills, and nares, eventually suffocating them or causing them to starve. Bird carcasses last only a few hours in the wild; if you find a few, it probably means that lots of others died, too. One local bird author I talked to--Rich Stallcup, who writes for the PRBO--told me that over the years he has found about 300 moribund warblers "with eucalyptus glue all over their faces." Says Stallcup, "We see a large number of gummed- up Townsend's warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, ruby-crowned kinglets, Anna's and Allen's hummingbirds, and a few Bullock's orioles. Anyone who birds around eucalyptus trees sees it all the time." Bird artist and birder Keith Hansen, who illustrates some of Stallcup's work, has found about 200 victims. "The worst one was last year--a yellow-rump," he says. "At first I thought it was deformed, because there was such a dome of gum over its beak that it made a horn. The bird was hunched forward, breathing very heavily." If you try to remove the gum, the upper mandible will break off in your fingers. Gum isn't the only danger. Eucs give nesting birds a false sense of security, creating population sinks. For example, the PRBO has found that in eucs, 50 percent of the Anna's hummingbird nests are shaken out by the wind. In native vegetation the figure is 10 percent. "Birds will use these trees year after year, nesting but producing almost no young, until the population crashes," says Geupel. Somehow the public isn't getting the message about America's largest weed. After the PRBO published a Stallcup-Hansen article entitled "Deadly Eucalyptus," the group got a call from a woman asking what kind of eucs she could plant that were good for birds. ""I kill eucalyptus," is what Russ Riviere, a dapper Bolinas arborist who wears a vest to work, told me when I asked him what he did. But Riviere is more than a euc euthanizer; he is a champion of native ecosystems. When he finishes a job he frequently turns the site over to his friend Ann Young, an energetic and upbeat restoration ecologist who spends her life planting everything that Bolinas and its vanishing wildlife are running out of. Riviere met me outside my room at the 151-year-old Smiley's Schooner Saloon, and we drove to the current job site, where, among crashing eucalyptus trunks and limbs, he introduced me to his crew. The streets on this "mesa," as the local plateaus are called, were named by easterners for trees that don't belong here. This site was on Elm Street. From Elm Street we moved down to Pine Gulch Creek--also eroded and dewatered by eucs, to the peril of its few remaining Coho salmon and steelhead (both threatened). On another creek--where eucs are protected because they're wrongly said to provide sanctuary to monarch butterflies--we encountered invading eucs, some being hauled down by Cape ivy. On both creeks the eucs have completely clogged the corridor to the sea, important habitat for all sorts of birds, including shorebirds that need to move up into creeks when the tide covers mudflats. Monarch butterflies do roost on certain eucalyptus trees in winter, a fact used to full advantage by those who believe that all trees are always good no matter where they came from or where they were planted. When the eucs weren't there, neither, apparently, were monarchs--at least not in noticeable numbers. Perhaps they migrated down the coast until they encountered native trees like Monterey pines. Geupel believes that eucs may create monarch sinks the way they create bird sinks--that is, monarchs are attracted to them, then get blown out by storms, perishing by the tens of thousands. "Monarchs are declining, and I would argue that eucs may be the reason," he says. J Euc paintings by Molyneux's dead mentors--the "Eucalyptus School" of California impressionists--are much coveted by art collectors, especially because there are now so few of them. In 1991 many of the best examples were incinerated, along with the houses of the Berkeley professors who owned them, when real eucs fueled the Oakland Hills fire--which killed 25 people, destroyed 3,000 buildings, and is commonly cited as "the most destructive wildfire in U.S. history." Nine years earlier a report identifying the danger and recommending euc removal had been submitted to the city of Oakland by the East Bay Regional Park District and other fire authorities. The city ignored it.As a result Oakland got hit with a broadside of negligence suits. Liability risk to Marin County is even greater because it doesn't just ignore advice from fire experts, it spends money preventing that advice from being implemented. (Emphasis added.) Usually the only thing that happens when Santa Cruz fire marshal Mark Latham recommends euc removal to the city fathers is that it "gets studied," he says. "We have categories of flammable plants, and eucalyptus is way up at the top--almost off the scale. It's a nasty situation." From Wikipedia: Australian eucalyptus oil place a vital part in the major forest fires that frequently occur in Australia, especially during the summer. As the temperature rises during hot summer days, the oil becomes vaporised and rise. This is way you can see a blue haze over the Australian bush and forest during hot days. The oil is highly flammable which means that once a bush fire begins it will spread rapidly from tree to tree as the vaporised oil catches fire. The eucalyptus trees also have a habit of shedding dry branches to conserve water during the dry season, which means that their will be plenty of dried wood around a eucalyptus tree. The eucalyptus trees are however highly adapted to forest fires and will not suffer from frequent outbreaks. A lot of the species actually rely on forest fires to regenerate and make their seeds grow. This means that the fires caused by Australian eucalyptus oil are worse for other species than for the eucalyptus. When other species have succumbed to the fire, the eucalyptus seed can grow rapidly without having to compete a lot with other species. The adult eucalyptus trees will also quickly recuperate after a fire, since they keep buds guarded under their bark. This resilience to fires and the ability to actually spread fires via the Australian eucalyptus oil is one of the reasons behind the eucalyptus domination at the Australian continent. From Expertsabout.com: On warm days vapourised eucalyptus oil rises above the bush to create the characteristic distant blue haze of the Australian landscape. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable (trees have been known to explode) and bush fires can travel easily through the oil-rich air of the tree crowns. Eucalypts are well adapted for periodic fires, in fact most species are dependent on it for spread and regeneration: both from reserve buds under the bark, and from fire-germinated seeds sprouting in the ashes. From an Australian website (hftp://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/29/1043804405093.htm1): A nation hostage to the gum January 30 2003 Can we talk about the war that has actually started,the one in this country,the one with real casualties and no easy slogans?The war we are losing. "We are basically at war,"David Foster,the author and scientist,told me this week.He had seen the home of one his daughters destroyed in the recent Canberra inferno. "We're fighting this war with a bunch of amateurs,volunteers,and one day we'll need a professional service to fight for us and it will cost a fortune." Foster has written often about the cunning,adaptable,dangerous,selfish and toxic species-the eucalypt- that has just humbled us yet again.In The Glade Within The Grove,the novel which won Foster the Miles Franklin Award in 1997,he offered this warning,which seems to foreshadow his own family's misfortune: "Eucalypts thrive on global warming.They are the tree of Siva.They are the tree of the future.They are the enemy of the farmer,the friend of the hunter-gatherer. 'Your days are numbered'they say to us..." In this week of Australia Day celebrations and the aftermath of yet another bushfire tragedy-this time in the bushland national capital-and ongoing major fires it is worth reassessing the qualities of the nation- shaping eucalypt.It is a double-edged icon.As the American scholar Stephen Pyne wrote in The Burning Bush:A Fire History of Australia(1991): "Eucalyptus has given the bush its indelible character.It is not only the Universal Australian,it is the ideal Australian-versatile,tough,sardonic,contrary,self-mocking, with a deceptive complexity amid the appearance of massive homogeneity;an occupier of disturbed environments;a fire creature." Don't be overly sentimental about the country's most successful coloniser,with its glorious fragrance,the blue sheen it creates on distant forest canopies from the oil droplets on its leaves,or the array of familiar shapes and evocative names-the red gum,the blue,the grey,the black,the stringybark,the ghost,the scribbly,the ribbon,the coolibah,ironbark,bloodwood,jarrah,mugga,yellow box,red box,white mallee, yellow mallee,red mallee,rose,salmon,tallowwood,sugar,blackbutt,woolly butt,river red and river peppermint. Have a closer look,which people are belatedly doing in Canberra right now,where the fingers of combustible bush reached into the suburbs like insurgent forces.The triumph of the eucalypt as the dominant Australian species,made possible by its great alliance with fire,and with Aboriginal firestick farming,has made Australia a more and country.The process is ongoing and has reached the point where rural Australia has a full-blown salinity crisis. "The reason why we Europeans have never been really comfortable here is that they [the eucalypts] don't approve of us," says Foster. "They are not compatible with our farming ways.They make the landscape more arid.They don't produce anything we eat.They spread fire.They encourage fire.I do believe the eucalypt is actively seeking to create a drier climate.It suits their purpose." Eucalypts are also toxic-most plants can't grow within 10 to 20 metres of them because of the toxins they drop into the soil around them,and these toxins leach downhill and into the river systems.They are not interested in the welfare of most other species,including us. In drought,the eucalypt,especially the stringybark,drapes incendiary streamers of tinder.The oil in its leaves is flammable.Places disturbed by fire open areas to sunlight,allowing eucalypt seedlings a chance to outgrow more shade-tolerant rivals.During fires,seeds rain down from the charred canopy.The fluffy ash buries them in an environment of mineralised biochemicals.Fire has swept competition away. Not all eucalypts are firebombers.Snow gums and alpine ash would have been devastated by the most recent conflagrations in the Snowy Mountains.But most eucalypts are prepared to endure in a hot and and climate.Their canopy drapes downward to reduce leaf temperatures.The leaves are hard,to reduce moisture loss.They are shed infrequently,to preserve energy. As dry periods extend,the root system expands,searching for new water sources,and can grow vast as it compensates for the poverty of the soil. It obsessively retains and recycles nutrients.The seeds can remain dormant for decades. Eucalypts are insatiable water-gatherers,while their root systems have an enormously important role(like those of other trees)in keeping the water table down and salinisation at bay,acting like an enormous hydrology system across the continent.But these benefits flow to us incidentally,and in the national battle against salinity,there are more potent natural weapons than eucalypts,most of which,in Professor Pyne's words,burn"readily,greedily,gratefully" and easily shed burning bark;their seeds require oven-like heat to germinate,and give menace to the migrating winds.No wonder the calendar of Australian history is constantly updated with conflagrations:Black Thursday,February 6, 1851;Red Tuesday,February 1, 1898; Black Friday,January 13, 1939;Black Tuesday,February 7, 1967,Ash Wednesday,February 16, 1983, and now the Black Weekend,January 18,2003,when fire rained down on Canberra,razing 500 homes and endangering hundreds more.It could have been much worse.David Foster was in Canberra on January 18 and saw what was possible: "Firebrands were settling all over the city but the wind hit late in the day and then dropped.If it had hit at midday,there could have been fires all over the city." The cycle of backburning,which will now intensify in the wake of these latest battles,will probably accelerate the primacy of the eucalypt,reduce biodiversity,and maintain the evolutionary march towards a drier continent.There are huge,emotional and fundamental issues about how to manage fire in this country, and no easy answers.The National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Snowy Mountains Authority are bitterly criticised for destocking land and allowing massive build-ups of combustible understorey. The eucalypt hasn't been our most popular export,either. Ashley Hay's recent book Gum(Duffy& Snellgrove,2002)records that Australian eucalypts have been exported around the world,sometimes with disastrous results.It is a hated tree in India and places around the Mediterranean. The eucalypt may be beloved here,it may be the great Australian,but unless we start to understand the environment we share with it,the eucalypt could outlast the consumer society we have built here,and make a mockery of our vanities. psheehan@smh.com.au This story was found at:http://www.smh.com.au/articlesl200310112911043804405093.html And finally,from Dictionary.com: Definition: weed' wid -noun 1. a valueless plant growing wild, esp. one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop. 2. any undesirable or troublesome plant, esp. one that grows profusely where it is not wanted: The vacant lot was covered with weeds. Page 1 of 8 Victoria Ortland 00l IZ-0 T � From: . _ Debbie Pedro _ � pF`p _ �6 Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 6:44 PM S��Tpd'y/` To: Victoria Ortland ``� Subject: FW: Corrected "Natoma" reference to "Liddicoat Lane" - Newbridge Road and Euc Weeds Attachments: 669760334-Eucalyptus weeds.doc This is the same letter but with text correction. ----------------------------------- Debbie Pedro,AICP Planning Director Town of Los Altos Hills Phone: (650) 947-2517 Fax: (650) 941-3160 From: Francis La Poll [mailto:francisla777@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 1:53 PM To: raykcol@yahoo.com; bartcarey@gmail.com; eclow@hinagroup.com; carljcottr@aol.com; harpootlian@sbcglobal.net Cc: Brian Froelich; Debbie Pedro Subject: Corrected "Natoma" reference to "Liddicoat Lane" - Newbridge Road and Euc Weeds The following text and attached letter contain a corrected reference, "Liddicoat Lane" for "Natoma" in regard to the 1985 fire. FRANCIS A. LA POLL 13420 W. FREMONT ROAD LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA 94022 October 18, 2006 Honorable Chair and Members, Los Altos Hills Planning Commission: I am writing in support of the relatively new, and enlightened, policy regarding eucalyptus trees, and to ask that you apply that policy. In particular, I request that you require elimination of the eucalyptus trees at 26030 Newbridge Drive as a condition of occupancy. Both the red river gum and the box gum are among those indicted as posing a significant fire and habitat threat even in their native Australia. The third, flooded gum (Eucalyptus Grandis, not Eucalyptus Rudis), is discussed by the New South Wales (Australia)Brush Fire Coordinating Committee Policy 6/01 as it expands upon Section 63(4) of Australia's Rural Fires Act of 1997 and said to be particularly vulnerable to fire. I am a strong supporter of private property rights. When, however, the actions of one on private property endanger others a line is crossed. The planting or maintenance of eucalyptus trees, non-native plants more aptly characterized as weeds, poses dangers for all residents of the community, and potential liability for the Town, as well. It is, therefore, appropriate that the Town exercise its police powers 10/20/2006 Page 2 of 8 acting on behalf of the general welfare of all by removing this danger. The Commission, with findings based on testimony and submissions such as this, can regulate—indeed require removal—of vegetation even without reliance upon the recent ordinance. Eucalyptus trees pose at least two unique dangers. While the limb of a eucalyptus weed recently fell killing a bicyclist during a storm, such trees are prone to losing limbs even in good weather, and with no warning. Large, limb shedding trees are clearly and foreseeably a danger. The trees also present an especial fire hazard. Along with limbs, they also shed particularly flammable bark in great quantities. Perhaps owners could be tasked with cleaning up after their pet eucs, but this would not remove the fire danger. The mere presence of such weeds, wicks atop oil, greatly heightens the risk of a small brush fire turning into a major conflagration. Indeed, they are worse than mere containers of flammable liquid. In hot weather, eucalyptus oil aerosolizes creating a micro environment comparable to that pre-ignition, fuel droplet-laden environment intentionally created by a class of modern U.S. bombs that are particularly effective in being all-consuming, destructive, and horrific. Such conditions have no place near our homes. We all know of the role of such trees in the Oakland Hills fire in 1989, a fire that destroyed more structures than we have homes in Los Altos Hills. We have a similar example of the trees danger closer to home. In 1985, a fire severely damaged and destroyed a number of houses along Arastradero Road between Page Mill and Alpine (sometimes called the "Liddicoat Lane" fire). Eucalyptus trees lining the road were largely responsible for the fire's intensity and spread. Former Los Altos Hills Town Attorney Sandy Sloan just last year in her role as Portola Valley's Town Attorney mentioned the Arastradero Road/Liddicoat Lane fire, noting that it had started at a home in Los Altos Hills and had jumped to the Preserves along that road before going on to destroy homes. She commented that it had been alleged that the City of Palo Alto had failed to do "fuel management well" and that the City "ended up contributing quite a bit of money." In a discussion about whether to acquire property, she concluded that "if there was a fire, the Town could be sued and would be somewhat responsible depending on the circumstances." (Town of Portola Valley, Minutes, June 22, 2005 Town Council Meeting, Item 8.) (One citizen even noted at the meeting that his homeowners' insurance had been cancelled due to the proximity to trees and fuel on a neighboring property.) The Town is aware of the dangers posed by Eucalyptus trees in proximity to homes, in a relatively rural, and fuel-laden setting. The Town pays hundreds of thousands of dollars extra for the ability to project fire-fighting capability into the Hills with a small vehicle and fire crew. Unfortunately, in a real Hills fire, larger trucks and engines cannot readily maneuver, and the smaller vehicle would be outmatched by anything more than a grassfire. With Eucs, a small grassfire can turn quickly into a conflagration. The Town also is aware of the danger of falling Euc limbs to pedestrians, bicyclists, and even drivers. With dangers so foreseeable, an injured party, or grieving survivor, likely would name the Town in lawsuit. Indeed, according to the Audubon Society (see below), the City of Oakland was hit by a number of lawsuits following the 1989 Hills fire because it had failed to address the euc problem. (See also http://www.igin.com/Landscaping/l 102outonalimb.html, discussing liability resulting from risk of falling euc limbs, which may be even greater for public entities.) Even if the Town won such suits, the legal fees borne by the city would make the victory Pyrrhic, and those who had lost their homes would not be cheered by the Town's technical non-liability. On the other hand, if the Town lost, receivership might result. Support the staff and Town Council. More important for Los Altos Hills Residents: Eliminate the Danger: Eliminate the Eucs. 10/20/2006 / 006 Page 4 of 8 Selected relevant reading material From the Audubon Society (found at http://magazine.audubon.org/incite/incite020l.html) If you smell like a cough drop when you stumble out of the California woods, it's because 100 of the world's 600 species of eucalyptus grow there. None is native. They were imported from Australia during the second half of the 19th century as we were hawking our redwoods to the Aussies. "Wonder trees," the eucs were called, because they shot up in coastal scrub and vast redwood clearcuts. Of the many eucalyptus species that evolved with fire, none is more incendiary than blue gum. "Gasoline trees," firefighters call them. Fire doesn't kill blue gums. Rather, they depend on fire to open their seedpods and clear out the competition. And they promote fire with their prolific combustible oil, copious litter, and long shreds of hanging bark designed to carry flames to the crowns. Blue gum eucalyptus doesn't just burn, it explodes, sending firebrands and seeds shooting hundreds of feet in all directions. Living next to one of these trees is like living next to a fireworks factory staffed by chain- smokers. The only native plants we encountered in the grove were shallow-rooted--mostly poison oak. I stuck my hand in euc leaf and bark litter and couldn't find the bottom; in California it can be four feet thick because the microbes and insects that eat it are in Australia. Native plants that manage to push through the litter often get poisoned; as a natural defense against competition, eucs exude their own herbicide, creating what botanists call "eucalyptus desolation." Plants that are most immune include poison oak and pernicious aliens such as Cape ivy and English ivy. Eventually we heard a single ruby-crowned kinglet. Native birds do use eucalyptus groves, though the Point Reyes observatory has found that species diversity there drops by at least 70 percent. Eucs flower in winter, attracting insects and insectivorous birds. To deal with the sticky gum, Australian honeyeaters and leaf gleaners have evolved long bills. North American leaf gleaners such as kinglets, vireos, and wood warblers have not; so the gum clogs their faces, bills, and nares, eventually suffocating them or causing them to starve. Bird carcasses last only a few hours in the wild; if you find a few, it probably means that lots of others died, too. One local bird author I talked to--Rich Stallcup, who writes for the PRBO--told me that over the years he has found about 300 moribund warblers "with eucalyptus glue all over their faces." Says Stallcup, "We see a large number of gummed-up Townsend's warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, ruby- crowned kinglets, Anna's and Allen's hummingbirds, and a few Bullock's orioles. Anyone who birds around eucalyptus trees sees it all the time." Bird artist and birder Keith Hansen, who illustrates some of Stallcup's work, has found about 200 victims. "The worst one was last year--a yellow-rump," he says. "At first I thought it was deformed, because there was such a dome of gum over its beak that it made a horn. The bird was hunched forward, breathing very heavily." If you try to remove the gum, the upper mandible will break off in your fingers. Gum isn't the only danger. Eucs give nesting birds a false sense of security, creating population sinks. For example, the PRBO has found that in eucs, 50 percent of the Anna's hummingbird nests are shaken out by the wind. In native vegetation the figure is 10 percent. "Birds will use these trees year after year, nesting but producing almost no young, until the population crashes," says Geupel. Somehow the public isn't getting the message about America's largest weed. After the PRBO published a Stallcup-Hansen article entitled "Deadly Eucalyptus," the group got a call from a woman asking what kind of eucs she could plant that were good for birds. ""I kill eucalyptus," is what Russ Riviere, a dapper Bolinas arborist who wears a vest to work, told me when I asked him what he did. But Riviere is more than a euc euthanizer; he is a champion of native ecosystems. When he finishes a job he frequently turns the site over to his friend Ann Young, an energetic and upbeat restoration ecologist who spends her life planting everything that Bolinas and its 10/20/2006 Page 5 of 8 vanishing wildlife are running out of. Riviere met me outside my room at the 151-year-old Smiley's Schooner Saloon, and we drove to the current job site, where, among crashing eucalyptus trunks and limbs, he introduced me to his crew. The streets on this "mesa," as the local plateaus are called, were named by easterners for trees that don't belong here. This site was on Elm Street. From Elm Street we moved down to Pine Gulch Creek--also eroded and dewatered by eucs, to the peril of its few remaining Coho salmon and steelhead(both threatened). On another creek--where eucs are protected because they're wrongly said to provide sanctuary to monarch butterflies--we encountered invading eucs, some being hauled down by Cape ivy. On both creeks the eucs have completely clogged the corridor to the sea, important habitat for all sorts of birds, including shorebirds that need to move up into creeks when the tide covers mudflats. Monarch butterflies do roost on certain eucalyptus trees in winter, a fact used to full advantage by those who believe that all trees are always good no matter where they came from or where they were planted. When the eucs weren't there, neither, apparently, were monarchs--at least not in noticeable numbers. Perhaps they migrated down the coast until they encountered native trees like Monterey pines. Geupel believes that eucs may create monarch sinks the way they create bird sinks--that is, monarchs are attracted to them, then get blown out by storms, perishing by the tens of thousands. "Monarchs are declining, and I would argue that eucs may be the reason," he says. Euc paintings by Molyneux's dead mentors--the "Eucalyptus School" of California impressionists--are much coveted by art collectors, especially because there are now so few of them. In 1991 many of the best examples were incinerated, along with the houses of the Berkeley professors who owned them, when real eucs fueled the Oakland Hills fire--which killed 25 people, destroyed 3,000 buildings, and is commonly cited as "the most destructive wildfire in U.S. history." Nine years earlier a report identifying the danger and recommending euc removal had been submitted to the city of Oakland by the East Bay Regional Park District and other fire authorities. The city ignored it. As a result Oakland got hit with a broadside of negligence suits. Liability risk to Marin County is even greater because it doesn't just ignore advice from fire experts, it spends money preventing that advice from being implemented. (Emphasis added.) Usually the only thing that happens when Santa Cruz fire marshal Mark Latham recommends euc removal to the city fathers is that it "gets studied," he says. "We have categories of flammable plants, and eucalyptus is way up at the top--almost off the scale. It's a nasty situation." From Wikipedia: Australian eucalyptus oil place a vital part in the major forest fires that frequently occur in Australia, especially during the summer. As the temperature rises during hot summer days, the oil becomes vaporised and rise. This is way you can see a blue haze over the Australian bush and forest during hot days. The oil is highly flammable which means that once a bush fire begins it will spread rapidly from tree to tree as the vaporised oil catches fire. The eucalyptus trees also have a habit of shedding dry branches to conserve water during the dry season, which means that their will be plenty of dried wood around a eucalyptus tree. The eucalyptus trees are however highly adapted to forest fires and will not suffer from frequent outbreaks. A lot of the species actually rely on forest fires to regenerate and make their seeds grow. This means that the fires caused by Australian eucalyptus oil are worse for other species than for the eucalyptus. When other species have succumbed to the fire, the eucalyptus seed can grow rapidly without having to compete a lot with other species. The adult eucalyptus trees will also quickly recuperate after a fire, since they keep buds guarded under their bark. This resilience to fires and the ability to actually spread fires via the Australian eucalyptus oil is one of 10/20/2006 Page 6 of 8 the reasons behind the eucalyptus domination at the Australian continent. From Expertsabout.com: On warm days vapourised eucalyptus oil rises above the bush to create the characteristic distant blue haze of the Australian landscape. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable (trees have been known to explode) and bush fires can travel easily through the oil-rich air of the tree crowns. Eucalypts are well adapted for periodic fires, in fact most species are dependent on it for spread and regeneration: both from reserve buds under the bark, and from fire- germinated seeds sprouting in the ashes. From an Australian website (hfp://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/29/1043804405093.htm1): A nation hostage to the gum January 30 2003 Can we talk about the war that has actually started,the one in this country,the one with real casualties and no easy slogans? The war we are losing. "We are basically at war,"David Foster,the author and scientist,told me this week.He had seen the home of one his daughters destroyed in the recent Canberra inferno. "We're fighting this war with a bunch of amateurs,volunteers,and one day we'll need a professional service to fight for us and it will cost a fortune." Foster has written often about the cunning,adaptable,dangerous,selfish and toxic species-the eucalypt-that has just humbled us yet again.In The Glade Within The Grove,the novel which won Foster the Miles Franklin Award in 1997,he offered this warning,which seems to foreshadow his own family's misfortune: "Eucalypts thrive on global warming.They are the tree of Siva.They are the tree of the future.They are the enemy of the farmer,the friend of the hunter-gatherer. 'Your days are numbered'they say to us ..." In this week of Australia Day celebrations and the aftermath of yet another bushfire tragedy-this time in the bushland national capital-and ongoing major fires it is worth reassessing the qualities of the nation-shaping eucalypt.It is a double- edged icon.As the American scholar Stephen Pyne wrote in The Burning Bush:A Fire History of Australia(1991): "Eucalyptus has given the bush its indelible character.It is not only the Universal Australian,it is the ideal Australian- versatile,tough,sardonic,contrary,self-mocking,with a deceptive complexity amid the appearance of massive homogeneity; an occupier of disturbed environments;a fire creature." Don't be overly sentimental about the country's most successful coloniser,with its glorious fragrance,the blue sheen it creates on distant forest canopies from the oil droplets on its leaves,or the array of familiar shapes and evocative names-the red gum,the blue,the grey,the black,the stringybark,the ghost,the scribbly,the ribbon,the coolibah,ironbark,bloodwood, jarrah,mugga,yellow box,red box,white mallee,yellow mallee,red mallee,rose,salmon,tallowwood,sugar,blackbutt, woolly butt,river red and river peppermint. Have a closer look,which people are belatedly doing in Canberra right now,where the fingers of combustible bush reached into the suburbs like insurgent forces.The triumph of the eucalypt as the dominant Australian species,made possible by its great alliance with fire,and with Aboriginal firestick farming,has made Australia a more and country.The process is ongoing and has reached the point where rural Australia has a full-blown salinity crisis. "The reason why we Europeans have never been really comfortable here is that they [the eucalypts] don't approve of us,"says Foster. "They are not compatible with our farming ways.They make the landscape more arid.They don't produce anything we eat.They spread fire.They encourage fire.I do believe the eucalypt is actively seeking to create a drier climate.It suits their purpose." Eucalypts are also toxic-most plants can't grow within 10 to 20 metres of them because of the toxins they drop into the soil around them,and these toxins leach downhill and into the river systems.They are not interested in the welfare of most other species,including us. In drought,the eucalypt,especially the stringybark,drapes incendiary streamers of tinder.The oil in its leaves is flammable. Places disturbed by fire open areas to sunlight,allowing eucalypt seedlings a chance to outgrow more shade-tolerant rivals. During fires,seeds rain down from the charred canopy.The fluffy ash buries them in an environment of mineralised biochemicals.Fire has swept competition away. Not all eucalypts are firebombers. Snow gums and alpine ash would have been devastated by the most recent conflagrations in the Snowy Mountains.But most eucalypts are prepared to endure in a hot and and climate.Their canopy drapes downward to reduce leaf temperatures.The leaves are hard,to reduce moisture loss.They are shed infrequently,to preserve energy. As dry periods extend,the root system expands,searching for new water sources,and can grow vast as it compensates for the poverty of the soil.It obsessively retains and recycles nutrients.The seeds can remain dormant for decades. Eucalypts are insatiable water-gatherers,while their root systems have an enormously important role(like those of other 10/20/2006 Page 7 of 8 trees)in keeping the water table down and salinisation at bay,acting like an enormous hydrology system across the continent. But these benefits flow to us incidentally,and in the national battle against salinity,there are more potent natural weapons than eucalypts,most of which,in Professor Pyne's words,burn"readily,greedily,gratefully" and easily shed burning bark; their seeds require oven-like heat to germinate,and give menace to the migrating winds.No wonder the calendar of Australian history is constantly updated with conflagrations:Black Thursday,February 6, 1851;Red Tuesday,February 1, 1898;Black Friday,January 13, 1939;Black Tuesday,February 7, 1967,Ash Wednesday,February 16, 1983,and now the Black Weekend,January 18,2003,when fire rained down on Canberra,razing 500 homes and endangering hundreds more.It could have been much worse.David Foster was in Canberra on January 18 and saw what was possible: "Firebrands were settling all over the city but the wind hit late in the day and then dropped.If it had hit at midday,there could have been fires all over the city." The cycle of backburning,which will now intensify in the wake of these latest battles,will probably accelerate the primacy of the eucalypt,reduce biodiversity,and maintain the evolutionary march towards a drier continent.There are huge,emotional and fundamental issues about how to manage fire in this country,and no easy answers.The National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Snowy Mountains Authority are bitterly criticised for destocking land and allowing massive build-ups of combustible understorey. The eucalypt hasn't been our most popular export,either.Ashley Hay's recent book Gum(Duffy&Snellgrove,2002)records that Australian eucalypts have been exported around the world,sometimes with disastrous results.It is a hated tree in India and places around the Mediterranean. The eucalypt may be beloved here,it may be the great Australian,but unless we start to understand the environment we share with it,the eucalypt could outlast the consumer society we have built here,and make a mockery of our vanities. psheehan@smh.com.au This story was found at:hitp.11www.smh.com.aularticlesl2003/01129/I043804405093.htm1 10/20/2006 Page 8 of 8 And finally,from Dictionary.com: Definition: weed] /wid/ Pronunciation Key -noun ]. a valueless plant growing wild, esp. one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop. 2. any undesirable or troublesome plant,esp.one that grows profusely where it is not wanted: The vacant lot was covered with weeds. I Want to be your own boss?Learn how on Yahoo. Small Business. Want to be your own boss?Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. 10/20/2006 raykcol@yahoo.com, 10/16/06 9:50 AM -0800, Eucalyptus Ordinance 1 To: raykcol@yahoo.com From: Jack Davey<daveymob@ix.netcom.com> Subject: Eucalyptus Ordinance Cc: dpedro@losaltoshillsca.gov Bcc: aadinc@pacbell.net X-Attachments: Members of the Planning Commission The eucalyptus trees are not native to California. They are an invasive and destructive tree that can wipe out native plants around them. Limbs from the trees can also split off, fall and harm people. For those reasons the Town enacted the Eucalyptus Ordinance. I urge the Planning Commission and the Town staff to enforce the Ordinance and insure the safety of our residents. For years the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has followed a policy of removing the eucalyptus trees on District land and planting native oaks. Thank you for your consideration. Respectfully, Mary Davey 12645 La Cresta Drive Los Altos Hills, CA RECEIVED OCT 18 2006 TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS