Eucalyptus in California
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2024
- #Eucalyptus #NonNative
Eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus globulus) are quite common in California but they present some significant problems for native species, California's ecosystems, and human safety. This video provides some information on the history of these trees in California, and explores some of the issues they raise.
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Video edited by Grace F. Haiman
I'm from Victoria, Oz where the Blue Gum originated. Funnily enough the planting craze went both ways. Victoria is covered in Monterey Pines for timber harvesting and Monterey Cypresses for wind breaks. Like Blue Gums in California, Pinus radiata has become naturalised and considered something of a pest for all the ecological reasons you give for eucalypts in California, except they're less of a fire hazard.
Ah, irony!!! How about we trade trees back?
@@ABirdingNaturalist If Only!
glad you mentioned that saves me the task !
What is or
was their native natural animal bird that controls feeds off them making home of them ? E.g. The wood pecker , possum etc ???
Has Koalas been tried ???
G'day I live in Tasmania, Australia .. We have the world's second tallest tree , a Eucalyptus Regnan called Centurion at 100.5 metres or about 332 ft tall .. Only a California Redwood is taller .. Also over 150 more that are between 85 metres to 98 metres tall... They are all protected now along with a 100 metres protection zone around them ...They are magnificent trees ...Tallest hardwood , tallest flowering plant etc... On the ground though fro falling naturally ot felled are trees in Tasmania and Victoria that are well in excess of 100 metres ...incredible..
Wow!! Those trees sound amazing!!! Seeing trees like that in their native ecosystems is just incredible! Maybe someday I will make it there.
I’m Australian and I’ve been living in the bush for most of my life. I’ve seen several bushfires where a lot of people were killed. So I’d like to say a couple of things about the eucalyptus trees in an environment like North America. Cut them down now! The oils in the plant and leaves are highly flammable and poisonous to most insects and animals even here in Australia where there has been millions of years to coadapt. The koala, which lives on eucy leaves can only eat the leaves off two species of tree - out of the hundreds of different species. The trees kill other plants beneath them and even sterilise the ground. This isn’t that surprising, because the oils in the leaves are anti-microbial. But they are also designed to burn. They want to burn. They only reproduce through the heat and smoke from fires. And the fires that rip through them tend to vaporise their oil on the leaves and this creates a rolling ball of fire the sucks all the debris into it. A treetop fire is something that all Australians dread. I don’t know why you are growing them. But, a decent thing to do would be to find a market for the wood. They make the best firewood, and if they are dried properly, make incredibly tough timber. Nearly twice as strong as oak. We mill eucalyptus trees all the time. It’s a huge industry. If you replace these trees with native trees like chestnut, you will see a huge increase in biodiversity.
Wow! Sounds like you have seen some incredible and wild things during your time in the bush! And yes, the fire danger of Eucalyptus is pretty severe!
@@ABirdingNaturalist I used to be a fire fighter here in Victoria. There are lots of types of eucalyptus trees. Some, like the mountain ash are prone to dropping limbs at any time of year. They’re the tallest flowering plant on the planet, but they’re brittle. They can snap in half in a high wind. They also create a habitat that promotes fire. I honestly don’t know why anyone would want to allow them to colonise somewhere like California. The animals and plants there are not adapted to it. And they sterilise the soil.
@@paulrudd1063 I think it is a good example of people trying to make money with no regard for biology or ecology. Somewhat tragic results.
you need to check what you think you know before posting comment. koalas feed on a wide range of eucalypts, all you had to do was google it , which is what i just did..
wattles and many other plants grow happily with eucalypts, you are a great source of misinformation.
The native plants grow where they grow because they're supposed to be their introducing non-native plants has a ripple effect across multiple ecosystems
Absolutely! And it is impressive just how far reaching those ripples can go!
Thanks for the video! So informative. Eucalyputus tree is the first thing I noticed when coming to California. I gradually learned it's an invasive species, but not at the level of details you went through. Indeed I also have seen someone online defending them as "introduced species" in California. Very interesting.
Thanks for checking out my video! I'm glad it was informative. The controversy surrounding Eucalyptus in California is really interesting, for sure!!!
as an Ozzie tree hugger I find the u,s,a dilemma very interesting & understandable thank you as a footnote the mallee trees planted in the Middle East 1914 are stabilising their deserts & surviving without supplement so yes all things have their place !
That is a really great perspective! Thanks for sharing, and I am going to learn some about the plantings in the Middle East you mentioned.
a good read is a book called I PLANTED TREES by st barbe baker he inspired many in oz to raise MALLEE TREE seedlings & get them planted in the Middle East. I took heart of an image with Syrian refugees shading under them recently @@ABirdingNaturalist
Shouldn’t the koala be a viable solution!??? As it’s not meant to be adaptable or smart
@mews56 introducing species to control introduced species is a tricky game to play. I think it is kind of like saying two wrongs make a right.
It’s said if one tree can survive after a world ‘holocaust’ it’s definitely going to be a Eucalypt.
Ha! I would believe it!
In Australia, people don't usually want these trees near their houses either. Another problem with eucalyptus is the massive roots. They drain underground water sources, and get into and clog up underground pipes. They drop huge branches that can be a hazard and can fall on houses, cars, people etc and the leaves and bark make a lot of mess that can be a fire hazard as you mentioned and clog up the gutters of houses. Not the best trees.
I didn't know about the damage these trees can do with their roots! Add that to the growing pile of issues these trees can create! I also find it interesting that many Australians don't really want these trees near their homes. Thanks for sharing!
From an old timber worker, they should have chosen the beautiful Mountain ash variety, great for house construction.
Even though I have no real timber experience, it really does seem like there must have been better options than Eucalyptus!
You can thank a member of the Royal Melbourne botanical Gardens. I forget his name, he sent eucalyptus seeds around the world because of how they can grow in poor soils. He envisaged that the trees, being fast growing, as both a source for firewood and timber for buildings. His name is German, I do remember that.
Von mueller. German Botanist and superintendant of Melbourne Botanical Gardens.
Yes. He was also the man that decided it would be nice if walkers had easy access to blackberries so planted zillions of BB seedlings widely in the bush and along all the creeks and waterways of Victora. Thanks heaps Ferdi, you nong! @@DarylAW
I know. Just answering the question.
Wow! I had no idea that specific person had such huge impacts (and not good ones)!
I live in Melbourne Australia in the bushy northeastern hills with lots of eucalypts around here, mainly indigenous red box and yellow box. The leaves are more rounded, not long and slender. The birds around here are a mix of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Galahs, Rainbow Lorikeets, King Parrrots, Magpies, Currawongs, Crimson Rosellas and Kookaburras and others. There is always the sounds of birdlife here.
It's cool that Australian birds like the Eucalyptus! California birds seem to prefer California trees.
@@mews56 We have two species of Magpie in North America (the Black-billed Magpie and the Yellow-billed Magpie), and both are native species.
Your statement that Eucalyptus tend to twist and split is correct but this can be avoided. They are useful timber if the ends are sealed promptly after felling, sawn quickly with the initial cut through the middle, and then dried post milling slowly. The application of Northern hemisphere milling methods does not work. They are heavy hardwoods with a wide variety of uses. They can grow to economic sizes in 25 to 28 years sometimes less. Some of those trees behind you are a bit to big and have too many branches for optimum commercial use.
There are 800 different species of Eucalyptus, shrubs of less than 1.5 metres up to Eucalyptus Regnans over 100 metres the worlds largest flowering plant. They combine with another invasive species to make wonderful honey - so it ain't all bad.
I have eucalyptus hardwood flooring, which looks really nice.
We just bought a property and it has 2 eucalyptus trees but they discharge this nectar. Is there a way to stop it or at least minimize it?
Not to the best of my knowledge. The nectar is produced by the flowers each year, so as long as the tree is healthy enough to bloom, you are going to see that nectar. Sorry to not have more encouraging advice.
i read about using eucalyptus wood for firewood and commercial products. that's how you could incentivize people to remove all the eucalyptus in california. the thing about removing invasive plants is there should almost always be a way to make money while doing it, unlike nuclear radiation waste or something completely useless
I was always under the impression that eucalypts were also imported to combat the severe hillside erosion problems in California. Their roots bind soil rather well...
Interesting. I have not heard that explanation. Seems a bit odd because there were certainly lots of plants on California hillsides pre-Eucalyptus.
Blue Gum is a crap gumtree type, its grown for pulp. They end up being turned into wood chip and ship off overseas.
Yeah, that certainly fits with what I know about these trees. I wish European settlers to California had realized that!
On a road trip we did through the US , we saw a sign ,"You Clipped Us " and were told it was to do with the failure of the wwood for building.
Interesting signage!
This really helped me learn about those trees.
Thanks! I am delighted to hear that! Do you live near Eucalyptus trees?
they picked the wrong Gum, instead of going with the Blue Gum they should have gone with a Red Gum, better for Construction, less likely to Split, Crack and Warp, it's a dense wood and when seasoned less vulnerable to Fungus and Bores.
If only the people making those choices were botanists!!!! I think this is a great example of why we need scientists in decision-making roles.
@@ABirdingNaturalist or just talk to the locals where you are sourcing your stuff, unless you where FoB all the farmers, lumbermen and even Town Locals knew Blue Gum for Cabinetry and small items and Red Gum for Structural and for heavy applications their is Iron Bark.
@glenmcinnes4824 yeah, also a good point
Tasmanian Blue Gums. You say that they are no good for timber. I'mTasmanian, what do you think our houses are built out of? I love all trees and am very sad that all the willows and pines are being cut down here because they aren't native.
I know that Blue Gum can be used as timber, but my understanding is that it requires extra effort in drying and milling compared to other types of wood.
@@ABirdingNaturalist you may be right about that. I don't know a lot about timber.
@@ABirdingNaturalistyou really just need to get a guy by the name of Rowan Reed to train people how to cut them up when milling. Often it’s quarter sawing to relieve the stresses. Rowen has a book out called heartwood that goes into this. He lectures on agroforestry at a university in Melbourne. As an Aussie who loves your oak species I think getting rid of these weeds and turning the problem into a solution is the way to go. You might be able to recoupe removal costs with a mobile sawmill set up like Rowen uses and chip all the rest of the residue insitu and plant live oak into that once it’s broken down a bit. Also other methods worth looking into is the work of Ernst Gosch and his syntropic agroforestry method. He uses eucalyptus in a brilliant way.
@davedrewett2196 finding economically viable ways to tackle the California Eucalyptus situation is a great strategy!!!
Lots of nectar feeding birds in Australia.
Sure
eucalyptus bicostata is from nsw, euc globulus is from tasmania. both have same common name blue gum buds are a bit different.
Cool! That is good information to know!
When you let the tree grow as it wants, the timber will do what it wants... If the tree is managed, high quality timber becomes much more likely. In Australia this is a premium product. Not useless.
Interesting. How can a tree be managed so that it does not have twisting grain in its wood?
th-cam.com/video/lurnFfoBR0o/w-d-xo.html@@ABirdingNaturalist
Xlnt! As a socal native I’m indifferent to the eucalyptus,, replacing them with natives is a great idea
Thanks for the comment! And yes, I also really like the idea of replacing eucalyptus forests with some type of native habitat (oaks, grasslands, etc.).
Eucalyptus groves are the reason our coastal live oak woodlands are in jeopardy. It’s a shame, because they have become naturalized to the ecosystem, but now we have lots of Australian pests that feast on eucalyptus, such at the Dotted Paropsine Leaf Beetle (Paropsis atomaria) and the Eucalyptus Weevil (Gonipterus plantensis) which is resulting in mature eucalyptus trees dying and becoming a major fall risk. I don’t believe the species that eat eucalyptus have been flagged as invasive, but they are non-native and reproducing at an unprecedented rate. It’ll be interesting to see if they are added to the invasive species list if they begin to endanger naturalized gum groves- harming a resilient habitat for passerine birds.
The pests of Eucalyptus are a really interesting point that I don't know much about! They do make an interesting example of biocontrol. Maybe they will push down the Eucalyptus population. Maybe they will cause more issues like you outline. Could easily go either way which feels pretty uncomfortable in its own way.
They are a weed I'm surrounded by 4 million hectares of Mono culture and not 1 koala was hurt when it all went up in the last major bushfire 2019-2020. The koalas don't live where they get burnt out obviously. Since the last fire more of our ancient rare GONDWANA rainforest trees were burnt by their Eucalyptus neighbours who now occupy there space. Eucalyptus adapted extremely well to Aboriginal back burning to create more grass for the animals they relied on .But now Eucalypts are masters with no equals .Oh they make the soil hydrophobic not only from leaf and bark but they exude oil from roots .300 millimetres (1 foot) of slow soaking rain over a 2 week period only wet 5mm (1/5 of an inch). What a bloody shit tree.
Wow! Great information. Thank you for sharing. The more I learn about Eucalyptus, the more negative impacts I realize they have.
Eucalyptus is common also in Hawaii, in South America (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay), in Africa (Ethiopia, South Africa).
Yeah, unfortunately it has been introduced to many parts of the world, and is now causing problems in many parts of the world.
Apparently in South Africa they grow Flooded Gum, Eucalyptus grandis, for timber and fire wood. Freed of their pest burden of Aussie insects they grow like rockets and they’re able to get two telegraph poles from each tree.
@@stevecollins7698 impressive growth! Have they become invasive in South Africa?
@@ABirdingNaturalist Only spent a few weeks in South Africa, about 20 years ago, didn’t notice any feral Eucalyptus. The trees in the plantations are in perfect health due to lack of insect pressure. By the way, if you’re ever planning a trip to Australia I recommend you get a copy of “The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia” by Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight.
@@stevecollins7698 Thanks for the field guide recommendation!!!
Also... sorry about the bush fires 🔥 😹
Yeah, admittedly, the Eucalyptus don't help, but California also has some larger fire issues. Unfortunately.
Angel Island is also a great example of the removal of eucalyptus trees to great success.
BTW. Fort Ross until recent had the largest Eucalyptus tree which was on the National Trees Registry.
Angel Island is a great example! Good point! What happened to the Fort Ross Eucalyptus? Why is it no longer the largest?
There is now a larger tree in Monterey that has been measured on Paul Newmans land!
@@robinjoy9570 ah, usurped! I see.
@@ABirdingNaturalist Believe or not there is a New Zealand channel called how to mill Eucalyptus trees. It's good video showing how you how to chop down Eucalyptus and get the wood from them to make house building materials. This video was put out by the New Zealand Forestry Association. Please have a look at it and see what you think. Also I think there other Video's that show how to do the same thing some of them may be more extensive.
@@peterlyall4448 wow! Interesting that people are figuring out how to use Eucalyptus wood like this. I'm not surprised to see that some special handling is needed to avoid splitting (milling really fast and drying really slow). Thanks for sharing! Have you ever used Eucalyptus wood for anything?
The Naracoorte Conservation Park cut down all the non local pine trees to crys of murder, the mono culture weeds had no place there.
Stands of blue gums are ecological from Mars, the microbs to the Kookaburras in the hollows, it makes no sense, unless you're making toilet paper and alcohol even then there are better choices.
Blue gums are great for paper pulp but mountain ash is a great hardwood building timber that doesn’t split or twist but they burn really hot and fast so that’s why you’re forest fires 🔥 are more intense
Thanks for sharing! I thought that Eucalyptus were not generally good for timber because of the twisting grain of the wood.
@@ABirdingNaturalist yeah a lot are great construction timber spotted gum has a beautiful grain but you guys got the faster growing ones oh and the fires 🔥 burn hard and fast so the sap doesn’t boil and it rids the trees of bugs 🐛 and parasites
@@stevenblack3092 fast growing and oh the fires... that definitely highlights a couple of the major issues with Eucalyptus in California!!!
Was or were species like the Koala, the Platypus ever introduced tried to combat or repair the environment ? In better natural defences?
Ah, yes, biological control methods! To the best of my knowledge, the introduction of those species has never been attempted, and I think that is probably a good thing. Introducing species to control introduced species is a tricky game to play.
@@ABirdingNaturalist Also in the maintenance survival of the native beaver natural or needed numbers !??? Along side climate change, decreasing natural habitat & everyday common human interference!!!? such as guns or poison.
Not so much paid government clearances culling or purges employed mass paid e.g from corporation campaigns etc interference
or basic small paid culling, clearances purges.
As in the ability beavers vs platypus to defend it self vs the us the every day human changes .As the platypus does sound like it has better natural defences than the North American beaver!
@@ABirdingNaturalist Very much so, as we have found many, many (too many) times in Australia.
@@brettcoster4781 Yeah, Australia has so many examples of introduced animals and plants that then go so wrong!
Im in the Bay Area of California and they are EVERYWHERE
Doesn't help that these trees reproduce from forest fires, which is just a part of the natural cycle in Australia
Very good point. That makes them more able to take over after disturbances of any kind and further push out native trees.
Was it ever tried calling in the National American U.S. Army during a National Emergencies or Crisis? to remove The Eucalyptus trees & replant Oak Pine native trees
I like the idea!!! Ecology doesn't seem to ever count as a crisis (except floods, fires, and other immediate issues), so getting people invested in making big changes and spending big money (like mobilizing the US Army) is difficult and rare. But, like I said, I think your idea is a pretty darn good one!
Yeah, agreed that the NSW Blue Gum is a crappy timber tree, unlike the Tassie species. If they’d gone with Tallowood, Red or Grey Ironbark, Mountain Ash they at least would have been able to get some useful, but very hard and heavy timber. The Australian environment has been damaged by many things, and introduced species are probably top of the list. Seems we’re all in the same boat thanks to our misguided forefathers.
It is impressive how much damage is caused by invasive species, and how common invasive species are all around the world! We are definitely all facing the same issue (with different species, of course).
So they built an entire business and venture before they tested the product
Yup! Not the best planning, if you ask me.
i loved everything about this video except the music at the end. im thinking something from grateful dead would have been more appropriate lol
Well, I'm glad you like the information! Music is such a personal thing, but the Grateful Dead would have been fun.
@@ABirdingNaturalist haha! no worries mate, small price to pay for otherwise excellent nature videos. The world needs way more people like you sir. cheers!
@@dennydritic2628 thank you very much! It means a lot to have people like you comment on my videos. My channel is so small that sometimes I wonder if anyone is getting anything from it, so your comments definitely matter.
The work well in Australia mate... ! Think of the upside... we can export to you our Koalas [I understand one attached itself to the the plane The Simpsons took back to the US... and can send you our possums... they love 'em in NZ!!
Interesting. In the USA, Eucalyptus just didn't end up being commercially viable.
Sorry mate but you lost me with the picture of you with the face mask in the middle of a forest. What are going to catch there?
My face, my choice.
Thank you for the information
You bet! Thanks for the suggestion!
I'm an Australian an you talk crap eucalyptus forests an wood is the best in the world,
Termite resistant
Extremely hard
Fast growing
And over 800 different types of eucalyptus trees
And Australians have been building with eucalyptus timber for 200 plus years
An we have a massive timber industry built on it
Not all eucalyptus timber splits when dry its actually better than any timber found in north America
Interesting that there is so much variation between different Eucalyptus. The Blue Gum we have in California definitely does tend to twist and split when it is milled.
Shame you only have one type of gum. There are some epic versions 🤗
That's what I have heard as a result of comments on this video! I had no idea that some Eucalyptus are actually goid for commercial timber. It is ironic that we ended up with just the Blue Gum. Thanks for checking out my video!
Euc Globulous is a crappy tree. They should have picked another of the 800 odd Eucalyptus species. I worked in a native nursery in the 1980s. We were sending these and many other species out by the 1000s. Blue gum planting was big business back then. Pity that all it’s good for is wood chips and oil. Euc Marginata (Jarrah) wood is beautiful but the tree is much slower growing. We have the same issue with pine tree plantations here. (Radiata?) They seem better than the Blue Gum (Globulous) to be honest.
@ferajade8899 The fact that they ended up with E. globulous was ironic seeing as how there are so many other options. Thanks for sharing your perspective on the pines. Invasive species are such a problem!!!
@@ABirdingNaturalist I’m curious as to what other Australian natives are growing over there.
@ferajade8899 Interesting idea! I tried to look into this and didn't find too much in California. It seems we have some Australian Saltbush (Atriplex denticulata, and A. flagellaris), but it is moderately invasive. I'm not too sure about any other species.
I call the gum tree the terrorist among trees,the kill other trees by catching fire and burning all including themselves but they survive but nothing else does
Yeah, they are pretty astoundingly good at taking over!
I hear they're very toxic for the soil
You know, I have heard that too, but I think it is a myth. Eucalyptus do use a lot of water, and so can dry out soil, and their leaves can form a thick layer that is hard for other plants to grow through. But I don't think they actually release toxins into the soil.
Well they are fire resistant
I'm not exactly sure what you mean. Eucalyptus burn very hot and fast, so they are not fire resistant in that way. They do re-sprout and grow back quickly after a fire, so they are fire resistant in that way.
Another problem with eucalyptus trees is that each gum nut has hundreds of seeds inside. So in one fruiting seasons they could release millions of seeds.
I didn't know they produced that many, but I certainly agree that their ability to reproduce fast is a big part of the problem. Good point.
Personally, I've found that the pro-euc folks are often rabid and angry. Which is sad because one can't have a rational conversation about what the eucs are doing to our Central Coast environment. We live across the street from Sweet Springs Nature Preserve and the part of the Preserve that is eucs has NOTHING growing under them and it is definitely a fire hazard. Many people have wanted to get rid of the eucs for years but it is a frustrating battle.
Those conversations can be really frustrating, for sure. That lack of anything else growing with Eucalyptus is one of the most striking things to me. It is just amazing how different the undergrowth in a Eucalyptus grove is from the undergrowth in, say, an Coast Live Oak grove. How long have you lived near the Sweet Springs Nature Preserve?
Some eucalyptus release a chemical at the base that stops other plants growing around them, which is a great trick, but frustrating if you’d like other garden around them. They are a big fire hazard, I’m Australian, and have 10acres, I don’t have any planted close to my home, stick to exotics close by and eucalyptus are around the perimeter of the property.
@@Anna-xf4bg yeah, their ability to suppress other plants growing near them is pretty impressive! Thanks for sharing your perspective. I think it is interesting to hear from someone who lives with Eucalyptus in their native range!
And yet indigenous trees like chestnut are endangered? It makes no sense at all.
@@ABirdingNaturalist in australia there are lots of native plants that happily co exist with the eucalypts.
You either need to speak up or turn the noise down.
I agree. This video was made before I got my lapel mic, which helps a lot.
@@ABirdingNaturalist The mic was fine, the music was too loud.
@@petefluffy7420 ah, I see what you mean. Sound mixing has definitely been a growing skill.