Repeat photography | Sudden Oak Life by Lee Klinger

California oak decline is reversible!

22 12 2024

For more than two decades the decline and death of California’s oaks has been a matter of serious concern. In 2000 the California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) was formed and members of the task force have received over $50 million in funding to address this problem. I attempted to become a member of the COMTF in the early 2000’s and applied several times for funding, but to no avail. The problem was seen then, as it still is, as pathological (say the pathologists) not ecological (say me).

That cold shoulder turned out to be a fine move for the dying oaks, as it forced me to stop studying the problem and start trying to fix it. Hence “Sudden Oak Life” was born and ever since I have been showing the fruits of my labor. While the title of this post may be news to many, it is old news to the long-time followers of this work. In the archives of this blog that span two decades are photos of THOUSANDS of oaks showing that in most cases their decline can be reversed.

Shown here are photo sets of 16 ailing coast live oaks in Monterey CA treated with fire mimicry showing their progress after three years. Most of the oaks exhibit a notable increase in canopy density and many appear greener.

More evidence that California oak mortality is reversible! Enjoy …

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Categories : Case studies, Fire ecology, Fire mimicry, Monterey/Carmel, Oak health, Repeat photography, Sudden Oak Death

Monterey pines in Monterey showing off their new foliage

20 12 2024

Monterey pines (Pinus radiata) are fast-growing trees that produce abundant large cones and seeds. They are, as might be expected, quite common in Monterey, CA and are endemic to our region, having been here since the Tertiary. Lately, however, Monterey pines, like the coast live oaks, are in decline, essentially victims of colonization which has led to a lack of healing fires. Both pitch pine canker disease and bark beetles are taking a heavy toll on the pines, as well as overcrowding of the forests.

While my focus is on tending oaks, I’ve found that many other fire-adapted native trees respond well to fire mimicry. Thus, I began tending this grove of Monterey pines three years ago using the same fire mimicry protocol I use on the oaks. Yesterday I checked on these trees and am happy to report that most are showing noticeable improvement in the density and lushness of their foliage. Also, they bear no signs of disease or insect pests.

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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Monterey/Carmel, Pine health, Repeat photography

Non-toxic approach to oakworm infestations along the Central Coast, CA

10 12 2024

In 2017 there was a severe oakworm infestation of coast live oaks in the Monterey region and elsewhere. I’m often contacted at these times by property owners concerned about their oaks. Many wish to spray the trees with insecticides to reduce the infestation. Upon my advice, I tell property owners that spraying chemical insecticides is not necessary for the oaks to recover from these infestations, provided they are given proper care. Since the oakworm infestations are related to a lack of cultural fires, which controlled their populations in the past, a way forward is to emulate fire effects on the forest ecosystem.

Thus, rather than using chemical sprays as is typically recommended by arborists, I prefer using fire mimicry treatments to oak trees infested with oakworm. In the present case study I recommended to the property owner to do fire mimicry treatments instead of spraying the oaks. Never knowing for sure, I explained to them that the oaks would likely recover from the infestation, and that they would show continued improvement in the following years. A second set of fire mimicry treatments were preformed the following year (2018).

Shown here are repeat photographs of numerous coast live oaks taken upon initial treatments at the height of a severe oak worm infestation (2017), one year afterwards (2018), and seven years afterwards (2024).

Assessing the repeat photography results, the changes in canopy density of all the oaks on this property in Monterey, CA show that, in nearly all case studies, the canopy density increased as expected the year following the oakworm infection. However, the canopy density has continued to increase in nearly all of the oaks after only two years of fire mimicry treatments.

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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Monterey/Carmel, Oak health, Repeat photography, Sudden Oak Death

Oak restoration project in Boulder Creek, CA – 2024 Update

6 12 2024

Six years ago I began a forest restoration project in Boulder Creek, CA using fire mimicry treatments to help improve the health of a grove of coast live oaks, some of which are likely more than 250 years old. Additionally, two of the oaks had bleeding stem cankers (probably Sudden Oak Death) that were surgically removed, cauterized, and poulticed.

In 2022 most of the oaks were pruned to help reduce the canopy size, which lowers the risk of both wind and fire damage to the trees. The pruning also allows for more light to reach the lower branches resulting in improved density and lushness of the inner canopy foliage.

Last Tuesday I made my annual pilgrimage to this grove to re-photograph the oaks and to assess their response to the fire mimicry treatments. Here are the case study results showing canopy conditions at the time of initial treatment (2018) and a few days ago (2024).

Note, also, the last two photo sets that show the rapid recovery of two surgical wounds (on the same old-growth oak). The absence of any residual bleeding from the wounds indicates that the surgeries were successful in removing the stem canker infections. I’m calling this a win!

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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Oak health, Repeat photography, Santa Cruz, Sudden Oak Death, Surgery

After 4 yrs of fire mimicry treatments, these oaks have something to say …

21 11 2024

Four years ago I began fire mimicry treatments on several coast live oaks, some of them centuries old. A few days ago I checked on their responses. Enjoy!

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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Oak health, Repeat photography, Santa Cruz, Sudden Oak Death

The Vizcaino Oak: The life and death of a legacy tree

20 11 2024

For thousands of years the Native Peoples living here along the central coast of California, the Esselen and the Rumsen (Figure 1), tended the lands with cultural fire and other management practices, creating mosaics of oak forests, redwood forests, savannas, chaparral, and scores of other land and marine ecosystems, which together helped sustain the People, the plants, and the wildlife. Over time, the lowlands and hillsides surrounding Monterey Bay, like in many other places in California, came to be dominated by old-growth oak forests and woodlands, as these provided rich sources of acorns and other important foods.

Figure 1. Native Indians of the Monterey, California area circa 1791 as drawn by José Cardero.

On the evening of December 16, 1602, this all began to change when the first western colonizers, the Spanish Vizcaino Expedition, sailed into Monterey Bay (Figure 2). They were, no doubt, noticed by the nearby Rumsen People, but it wasn’t until the next day that first contact was made. That morning, Ensign Alarcon arrived in a landing boat with orders from the admiral to “make a hut where a mass could be said and to see if there was water, and what the country was like.” He soon reported back that there was fresh water and “a great oak near the shore”, where a hut and arbor were prepared for mass. Upon hearing this news Sebastian Vizcaino and crew embarked to shore and a Catholic mass was said at the improvised altar under this “great oak.”

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Categories : Big Sur, Native people, Oak health, Repeat photography

Big Sur oaks recovering from colonization

30 10 2024

Here are four coast live oaks and a black oak we treated back in 2020. Some additional surgery was done in 2022 to remove lingering canker infections on the oak above. While the above ancestor oak (300+ years old) is still diseased, further surgery and fire mimicry treatments should keep it alive for decades.

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Categories : Big Sur, Case studies, Fire mimicry, Native people, Oak health, Repeat photography, Sudden Oak Death, Surgery, Uncategorized

The Old Oaks Home

30 07 2024

There’s a special place near Monterey that is an oak lover’s dream – over 600 acres of undeveloped, intact old-growth oak forest and savanna, never burned, that I’ve been commissioned to tend. In 2022 I surveyed about 25% of the property and identified over 200 ancient, culturally-modified coast live oaks (“ancestor” oaks) that date from the time when the Rumsen-Ohlone Indians were the sole human occupants of the land (> 300 years old). Every one of these oaks is a living cultural artifact of the Rumsen-Ohlone People. I’m guessing there may be nearly 1000 “ancestor” oaks on the property, many of which are over 500 years old. Thus, I refer to this place as “The Old Oaks Home”.

These ancient oaks are in a precarious situation. Given that fires have not burned here in well over 100 years, the forests are now overcrowded with young oaks and the grassland savannas have been mostly replaced by chaparral. A single spark could end the lives of hundreds of these ancient beings in just a day or two. So far, luck has been on the side of these elders, but their luck is running out for every year we postpone care.

In lieu of fire, I have been applying fire mimicry treatments to several of the ancestor oaks over the past couple years and am seeing a significant improvement in the density and lushness of the canopies of these trees. The above and below photos show the treated oaks today, compared to their appearance two years ago. Enjoy!

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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Monterey/Carmel, Native people, Oak health, Repeat photography, Sudden Oak Death

Coast live oaks in Salinas recovering after 4 years

31 05 2024

In 2020 a good friend contacted me about care for his sick oaks. I immediately responded and applied fire mimicry treatments on several of his oaks, including a control oak that I did not treat (see below). Here are the results after four years. Note below that one of the diseased oaks initially began to recover nicely in 2021, but ended up dying in 2022. The oak shown above had a stem canker infection (probably Sudden Oak Death) that was surgically removed in 2020, and now shows no sign of lingering infection.

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Categories : Case studies, Fire mimicry, Monterey/Carmel, Oak health, Repeat photography, Sudden Oak Death

Coast live oaks, one requiring surgery, recovering after two years

30 05 2024

The coast live oak shown above was severely diseased with two large stem canker infections when I first arrived two years ago. Without promises of recover, I suggested two surgical procedures, as well as fire mimicry treatments to this and several non-diseased neighboring oaks. Below are the two surgical wounds depicting two years of healing. Note there is no residual bleeding or other signs of stem canker infection. Remaining photo sets below show the responses of the neighboring oaks to fire mimicry treatments. Happy to report that we’ll be returning soon to treat these oaks again.