Sudden Oak Life by Lee Klinger

Last year fire mimicry treatments were applied to several coast live oaks in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Watsonville. Despite the very dry rainy season and current drought conditions, these oaks are showing noticeable improvement in their canopy density after just one year. The soil fertilization treatments involved very little nitrogen or phosphorus and focused, instead, on amendments with alkaline-rich mineral nutrients. This is more evidence that fire mimicry is viable approach to improving and maintaining oaks health.