Section One / The Early Years
From Down Under
Just Call It "eucalyptus"
Eucalyptus Discovered
Noted Writers and Authorities
"California Here I Come!"
Who Was Really First?
Interest
Continues
To the End of the Century
From Rags to Riches Maybe?
The Doldrums
Renewed
Interest
Section Two / Physical Properties and Uses
Physical
Properties
Identification
Climate
Drought
Frost
Soils
Seeds
Young Plants
Strength
Foliage
Flowers
Bark, Trunk, and Roots
Cropping
Back
The Multiplicity of Uses
As
Forest Cover
For Firewood and Biomass Fuel
As Windbreaks
As Timber
As Posts, Pilings, Poles, and Railroad Ties
Uses
As Hardwood
It
Should Be Well-Seasoned
For Pulp, Paper, and Fibreboard
As
a Boiler Cleaner
A
Source of Honey
A Source of Food
As
Medicine
Fighting
Malaria
For Landscaping and Roadways
Section Three / Problems, Care, Economics and Species
A Fire
Hazard?
Beetle
Problem
Love or Hate and the Ecological Question
Planting and Care
Individual Trees, Groves, and Plantations
Economics
So Many Eucalyptus Species
Finis
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FROM DOWN UNDER IT CAME
While traveling along the roads and highways of California, especially along
its coast and inland valleys, one will see the usual oak, pine, and scrubbrush.
Yet there is another member of the plant family whose presence is dominating and
charismatic. Its size is lofty; its silhouette captivating; its smell clean and
antiseptic like the scent unfurling from a medicine cabinet. Many think it is a
California native, but it is not. It is really an immigrant from Australia that
arrived as many immigrants have in this wonderful country, surreptitiously.
It is the remarkable eucalyptus of which we speak that came from the virgin
forests of that vast land down under, Australia. It is as curious as that land
with its pouched animals and mysterious aborigines. Its adaptability and its
hardiness can be seen in its groves which cling to the California hillsides and
fill the crevices of the landscape. It is difficult to imagine what California
would look like without the seemingly omnipresent eucalyptus.
It has had a checkered history though in California. At first it was a tree of
promise stirring the imagination, and then later becoming a tree of
disappointment and ultimately disdain. In its homeland of Australia, it was a
true friend to the settler supplying material for a pioneer's needs. Its almost
mythical reputation came with the Australians to the California goldfields and
with the American travelers who had seen the colossus in Australia.
In Australia, the eucalyptus has been the tree of folklore where children sing
of the "kookaburra in the gum tree." Where also children and aborigines, enjoy
the sweet flakes of the manna gum. Medicine is found in its oils which has been
used to cure everything from an upset stomach to a nasty laceration. Doctors and
primitive cultures have both used it as a healer. The eucalyptus provided the
early Australian settler materials for buildings, implements, and
desperately-needed fuel. Its powers, its versatility was virtually unchallenged
by anything else on the Australian continent.
The purpose of this study is to tell the story of this amazing tree and its
impact on California. There is an array of literature, both scientific and
historical, that gives only segments of the story. This study is an attempt to
fashion those segments into a tailored narrative that has clarity and imparts
information to the reader. It is by no means comprehensive. The focus is on
important facts, major personalities, and key issues. The documentation is
provided for further research and study of this fascinating immigrant tree.
JUST CALL IT "EUCALYPTUS"
This writer has chosen, as others have, to use the word "eucalyptus" to refer to
this genus. In scientific literature, the first letter is normally capitalized.
It is some- times referred to as "eucalypts" to break away from the scientific
form and to give it a more common-appearing name. This really hasn't stuck, but
it is still seen in the literature. Also in this study, the writer has chosen,
as others have, not to refer to eucalyptus species by their full scientific
name, such as, "E. globulus" or "Eucalyptus globulus." Instead, the "E" or
"Eucalyptus" is dropped, and the name merely becomes "globulus."
EUCALYPTUS DISCOVERED
The first time that the eucalyptus tree appeared in recorded history was in Abel
Janszoon Tasman's journal during his voyage of exploration. In his journal entry
for December 2, 1642, at the island of Tasmania, which was named after him, a
reconnaissance party reported back that they had " . . . seen two trees about 2
1/2 fathoms in thickness, and they measured from 60-65 ft. from the ground to
the lower branches . . . " They were intrigued by the gum that was secreting
from the trees and brought back samples to show others.1
The eucalyptus tree next appeared in William Dampier's 1688 journal written at
Brunswick Bay, New South Wales. He wrote, "Most of the trees we saw are dragon
trees as we supposed; and these too are the largest trees any where. They are
the bigness for our large apple trees and about the same height; the rind is
blackish and somewhat rough. The leaves are of dark colour; the Gum distils out
of the knots or cracks that are in the bodies of the trees." 2
Captain James Cook was the next writer to make reference to the eucalyptus. He
wrote on May 6, 1770 at Botany Bay, "We found 2 sorts of Gum one sort of which
is like the Gum Dragon and is the same as I suppose Tasman took for gum lac, it
is extracted from the largest tree in the woods." Writing in August 1770,
botanist Joseph Banks, who was with Cook at the time, too referred to a
"dragon" tree,
The one tree tolerably large with narrow leaves not unlike a willow which was
in every place in which we went . . . resembling Sanguis Draconis . . . this I
should suppose to be the gum mentioned by Dampier . . . also that Tasman saw .
. . 3
There was a tree, Dracena draco or dragon tree, found on both the Madeiras and
the Canary Islands that secreted gum. It would appear that the explorers most
certainly had this tree in mind when comparing it to the eucalyptus.
The gum the eucalyptus secretes provides natural protection against insects
because it literally drowns the menacing pests. Both Tasman and Dampier did in
fact accurately identify this ecological secretion as "gum." But it was Captain
Arthur Phillip who first used gum in reference to a type of tree. In a letter
dated May 15, 1788 from Sydney, he wrote, "What seeds could be collected are
sent to Sir Joseph Banks, as likewise the red gum taken from the large gum-tree
by tapping."4
In his travels, Banks collected plant specimens, marked them, brought them to
England and stored them away to identify later. The eucalyptus specimens
remained untouched until a French botanist visiting England had the opportunity
to view them. Charles Louis L'Heritier de Brutelle poured over the specimens and
chose the scientific name of "Eucalyptus" which is a concoction of two Greek
words: "eu" which means "well" and "kalypto" which means "I cover." The cover
refers to the lid or operculum which hides the flower until it is thrown off to
allow the flower to bloom.5
The operculum shape is different for each eucalyptus species, and this shape
determines the second half of its scientific name. For example, the blue gum's
scientific name is E. globulus. "Globulus" describes the shape of the operculum
area which resembles a coat button, round or globe-like. It was another French
botanist, Jacques-Julien Houtou de la Billardiere, who in 1791 fully identified
the blue gum and assigned it its complete scientific name which is has been used
since. In fact, Billardiere, while visiting Tasmania, was one of the first to
refer to the genus as "Eucalyptus" in the written word. He lamented, "I have not
yet been able to produce flowers of a new species of Eucalyptus."6
Eucalyptus is a large family having over 600 species growing in its native
habitat of Australia. It is like the pouched mammals found there having a
species for every climatic variable. There are small ones, large ones, bushy
ones, and erect ones. One for every possibility. The eucalyptus species are
grouped by common names mostly because non-scientists tend not to be very
distinctive. After all, a tree is a tree and a bush is a bush. Australians group
the eucalyptus into these common name categories: gum, mahogany, box, and
stringybarks. Immediately one can see how really generic and unsophisticated
these names are, but they do make clear enough statements as to physical
appearance, and reveal how the untrained person views the species. Species of
eucalyptus live in a vast array of local natural environments. Some are found in
arid climates. Others prefer swampy conditions with its abundance of moisture.
Some can exist in low temperatures while others will be burned by the frost.
Some make there natural home in New Guinea, Timor, the Moluccas, and the
Philippines besides Australia.7
The eucalyptus is a world traveler. It has been successfully grown on most
every continent. Its fast growth, size, and beauty are attractive features
persuading the interested to plant seed. It grows best in environmental
conditions similar to those in its native habitat which is generally
semi-tropical to semi-arid. The eucalyptus has served humankind in many ways. It
has been used as fuel and as windbreaks to protect crops, farm animals, and
buildings. Its oils have been extracted and used in medicine and in scented
products. At one point in recent history, it thought to alter the local
atmosphere making life healthier for the residents. In 1868, the renowned
eucalyptus enthusiast from Australia, Baron Ferdinand von Mueller summed up the
possibilities of the genus which lay worldwide, "This marvelous quickness of
growth, combined with a perfect fitness to resist drought, has rendered many of
our tree fame abroad -- especially so in countries where the supply of fuel or
of hard woods is not readily attainable, or where for raising shelter . . . we
probably possess the means of obliterating the rainless zones of the globe, to
spread . . . woods over our deserts, and thereby mitigate the distressing
drought and to annihilate perhaps even that occasionally excessive dry heat
evolved by the sun's rays from the naked ground throughout extensive regions of
the interior . . . affording shade and shelter, and retaining humidity to the
soil, serve other great purposes . . ." 8
Von Mueller is sometimes referred to as "the Prophet of the Eucalyptus" because
of such exuberant predictions. Being a pragmatic scientist as well, he spoke on
the eucalyptus' ability to stop soil erosion and soil shift. He described the
method by which the roots decomposed rock creating better soil for crops. He
also discussed the use of eucalyptus to halt malaria by disinfecting the air,
and in the broader sense, to clean the air at large for healthier living.9
Eucalyptus was von Mueller's life which he avidly promoted worldwide in his
writings and lectures.
NOTED WRITERS AND AUTHORITIES
After the British and French botanists of late 18th century had identified and
recorded certain species, eucalyptus specialists emerged who were excited about
the genus and saw great potential. One such person was von Mueller who was
introduced above. He was the first of a line of "eucalyptologists" who wanted to
spread the word about this (seemingly) miraculous tree. Baron von Mueller was
German-born who moved to Australia in 1847. He became the botanist for Victoria
in 1879 which was a position he held until 1884. He published Eucalyptographia,
a ten volume work, which identifies 100 eucalyptus species. The encyclopedic
work was the first to present the eucalyptus to the general reading public and
to scientists as well. The massive tomes contained descriptions, illustrations,
and enthusiastic commentary.10
Von Mueller studied and wrote about eucalyptus for over fifty years. He had
twenty to thirty species to add to his published works, but he died before he
could complete the effort.11 In 1902, there were only five copies of
Eucalyptographia to be found in the United States. Lectures and selected
writings of von Mueller's were published by Ellwood Cooper in 1876 to insure
that Californians became knowledgeable of eucalyptus. "The Prophet" proclaimed,
"The eucalypts are destined to play a prominent part for all time to come in the
sylvan culture of cast tracts of the globe."12
In California, early on, there sprang up botanists and enthusiasts who
introduced the general populace to eucalyptus and advanced subsequent efforts on
its part.
One such person was Ellwood Cooper who came to California in 1870 and settled in
the Santa Barbara area. He took early note of the eucalyptus species already
growing there, and could see the potential of such a tree. He immediately bought
land and planted eucalyptus groves covering some 200 acres. His groves became
renowned for their beauty and lushness. This was said in 1904, "One can stroll
through his groves as through primeval forests. In the canyons, Eucalypts
twenty-five years old tower high above oaks . . . "13
In 1876, Cooper published Forest Culture and Eucalyptus Trees which included a
lecture by Cooper, two lectures by von Mueller, a paper by von Mueller, a
description of eucalyptus species by von Mueller, and a seed catalog. The intent
of the publication was to provide Californians with information concerning the
eucalyptus and to promote its growth in the state. It accurately states on the
title page, "The only Complete and Reliable Work on the Eucalypti Published in
the United States" because it was that indeed.
Cooper was president of Santa Barbara College, a small private school. On the
occasion of a library benefit, November 26, 1875, he delivered a stirring
lecture on forests and spoke of his favorite tree, the eucalyptus. In his
address, he argued that California, and alas, the world, needed the eucalyptus
for the planet's well-being. He believed that a perfect climate could be
generated by planting the right vegetation in the proper locales. To quote, he
wanted to "moderate the winds, increase the rain, and we have perfection . . .
How is this to be done? By planting forest trees."14
A successor to Cooper was Abbot Kinney of Los Angeles. He was chairman of the
California Board of Forestry from 1886 to 1888 during which time he launched a
program that resulted in the planting of thousands of eucalyptus. The forestry
experimental station at Santa Monica was established by Kinney where he did many
studies on 75 to 100 eucalyptus species. By 1910, he was by far the leading
contemporary eucalyptologist who had published more than anyone else on the
topic.15
Kinney had acquired wealth through tobacco interests and came to California in
the late 1870's to invest this capital in land and agriculture. He knew Cooper
and his work. He saw the extraordinary eucalyptus growing on Cooper's land.
While chairman of the forestry board, he embarked on a program of distributing
free eucalyptus seed and seedlings to interested growers.16 In 1895, he
published his classic work, Eucalyptus, which became the bible for eucalyptus
growers. It is a compendium of fact and information about all aspects of
eucalyptus horticulture from discussing soils to which species to plant.
To gather information for his publication, Kinney linked up with a colleague,
A.J. McClatchie. McClatchie had a very large microscope, and with it, along with
two copies of von Mueller's Eucalyptographia, the two botanists traveled
throughout California studying the eucalyptus.17 McClatchie later worked at the
Arizona forestry experiment station in Phoenix, and published in 1902, Eucalypts
Cultivated in the United States a scientific work rich in history and fact. At
the turn of the century and shortly thereafter, there were eucalyptus
specialists working at the various forestry stations and at the University of
California experimental facilities, who published informative pamphlets through
those governmental agencies. No research of eucalyptus horticulture would be
complete without consulting those contributions. To name the more important
authors: Charles Shinn, C.H. Sellers, George Lull, Louis Margolin, and Norman
Ingham.
Next on the eucalyptus scene was Woodbridge Metcalf. For over fifty years,
he would dominate the field. He began his professional career in 1914 at the
University of California, Berkeley where he taught forest botany, tree
management and tree identification. In 1926, he became the first California
Extention Forester who strongly advocated the usage of eucalyptus as windbreaks
for citrus groves. Metcalf wrote and published essays, articles, and books on
the Australian tree and other trees found in California. In 1956, he represented
the United States at the FAO World Eucalyptus Conference held in Rome, Italy.18
One final figure to recognize is Max Watson. He was an extraordinary man with
varied interests. He was originally from San Diego where he witnessed the
eucalyptus boom early this century. It was a tree he simply grew to love as a
boy tramping through the groves. As a young man, Watson opened a nursery in San
Diego and planted many thousands of seedlings with his own hands. His nursery
business brought him to the San Joaquin Valley where he continued planting
trees. He took a great interest in people especially those who needed help. In
his lifetime, Watson was a social worker, probation officer, and vocational arts
teacher. Through an agreement with California prison authorities, he was able to
hire prisoners to work in his nurseries and plant trees. Watson retired to San
Jose where he opened still another nursery and an arboretum.19
"CALIFORNIA, HERE I COME!"
The gold rush changed California in forever. The Mexican dons would begin to
fade from the scene eventually being relieved of their ownership of vast land
holdings. The California Indian, decimated by white man's disease, would
continue to disappear and essentially melt into the surrounding society. Present
was the onslaught of brash and arrogant Americans seeking fortune and bringing
with them different ideas, a different philosophy, and a new way of life.
Thousands of American gold seekers arrived in California with the sole idea of
striking it rich and to return home with their newly found riches. However, many
did stay and bought land or went into business. California was still their land
of promise. Australians came too seeking wealth in the gold fields. These hardy
and rough-hewed people were very similar to frontier Americans what with their
maverick attitude and adventuring nature.
They packed up their belongings and boarded ships mostly constructed from blue
gum timber. When they embarked from Sydney or Hobart Town, they brought with
them a mental picture of their homeland's landscape. In California they saw
barren hills and valleys. They could visualize how their lofty and majestic
eucalyptus could change such a bleak picture.
California vegetation was indeed bleak with one exception being the pine forests
which grew at the higher elevations. There too were a few oaks, willows,
sycamores, and scrub brush growing on the hills and in the valleys at the lower
elevations. But the desirable land was virtually treeless. The Franciscan
missionaries brought with them trees to provide food, but these orchards were
small, isolated, and located near the missions.
When California became a state in 1850, the citizens of Los Angeles needed to
fly the stars and stripes, but they had no trees to construct for a flagpole.
Indians were sent into the San Bernardino Mountains to chop down two pine trees
and bring back so the American flag could fly over southern California.20
The trees near settlements were used immediately for fuel and construction of
dwellings. Oakland was founded in 1850 in the midst of a forest of live oaks.
Shortly this forest would vanish. Oakland also had a forest of redwoods covering
five square miles. Two very tall trees in the forest were used by ships'
captains to guide them through the Golden Gate sixteen miles at sea.21 This
redwood forest was used in the construction of Mission San Jose22 and in the
urban development of Oakland and San Francisco during the gold rush. By 1860,
all the redwoods had vanished. Gone were the 300 foot giants that had once stood
there.23
To the gold seekers and settlers, live trees did not have value in any permanent
sense and were exploited at will. For example, miners cut down trees just to
find straight ones to be used in their "toms" and sluices. Trees were used too
as instant fuel for fires to cook over and to warm chilled bodies. The early
California wheat farmers removed trees to clear fields for their crops.24
In 1863, John S. Hittel published Resources in California in which he described
California's bare terrain. "The valleys are mostly bare of timber, with here and
there a grove of oaks, and lines of trees and bushes along the water courses."
In regard to Napa Valley and its surrounding hills, he said, " These mountains,
brown near the foreground and blue in the distance . . . "25 gives one a
picture of bleakness.
Hittel writing again, "Most of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, the
Colorado Desert, the eastern slopes of the Coast Mountains, and the Coast Range
south of latitude 35 degrees, are treeless."26 In his work The Natural Wealth of
California, published in 1868, author Titus Fey Cronise gives this picture of
Santa Barbara County: "There is but little timber in any part of the county,
except oak, willows, and sycamore, which grow on the plains or in the valleys.
The highest mountains being covered with grass or wild oats during the winter
and spring . . . "27
Of Stanislaus County, Cronise said: "With the exception of a few scattered oaks
along the larger streams, and a sparse growth of the same trees interspersed
with an inferior species of pine found on the eastern foothills, the county is
destitute of timber."28 These authors paint a clear picture of California's
virtually treeless landscape.
It was during the gold rush, that the eucalyptus was introduced into California
either by Australians, or by Americans who had been to Australia, or knew of the
tree and had seed shipped in. Australian miners used eucalyptus oil in Australia
in the recovery of gold as noted by this writer: "Diggers from our eastern
goldfields (Australia), chasing the pot of gold at the American end of the
rainbow, took and planted seed of those trees whose oil they had used in the
flotation process for the recovery of gold particles . . . Eucalyptus oil."29
This seems plausible, but it does take time for the eucalyptus to reach a
certain size to be able to produce a large enough volume of leaves from which a
sizeable amount of oil can be distilled. Another problem would be the climate of
the Sierra Nevada foothills where the gold was located. It is too cold normally
at that altitude during the winter for the eucalyptus to survive.
A stronger possibility is the "strike it rich" concept. The eucalyptus is a
fast-growing tree and provides firewood and materials for construction. This
would interest most enterprising men. News of such a tree would have reached the
ears of the miners or others in California from the Australians. Once the
goldfields played out, these men of fortune turned to other prospects of gaining
wealth. This colossus of a tree could be exploited for their financial gain, and
it would seem possible to these redirected fortune hunters that the eucalyptus
would enable them to "strike it rich."30
The Australians themselves seem to be a link. At this time, it was quicker to
bring supplies from Australia than from eastern United States because American
cargo ships had to go around the horn of South American, and The Panama Canal
and the transcontinental railroad were not built yet. Shipyards in Sydney and
Hobart Town, Tasmania constructed vessels made from blue gum which would
ultimately sail into San Francisco Bay. These ships would be representatives of
what the eucalyptus could do.31 A 90 ton schooner, it was said, was made from
one eucalyptus tree! Imagine the attention and instant fame this claim would
garner. Not only did the tree get a reputation, but the Australian woodcutters
and shipbuilders who produce such a craft did as well.32
In Blue Clippers and Whale Ships of Tasmania, the author, Will Lawson, wrote:
"These early Tasmanians were unusual men, their achievement and characters so
amazing and the ships they built so sturdy that Time could not destroy them.
When they wanted ships they built them, not always in properly appointed
shipyards, but often in creeks or on beaches or river banks, wherever suitable
tall trees grew. These big- hearted men felled the trees (eucalyptus), pit-sawed
them by hand power into planks, beams, keels, and frames, to shape their
vessels which were to brave the ocean storms and the dangers of uncharted
coasts. And they carried the name and fame of Tasmanian ships and seamen over
the seven seas."33
In 1849, over 2,600 Australians left Sydney for San Francisco.34 It took between
three to four months to make the passage with the American clipper ships
completing the trip quicker than the more bulky blue gum vessels. It was on one
of these voyages that the first sack of eucalyptus seed was imported.35 Because
eucalyptus seed is tiny, a small sack, which can hold several thousand seeds,
was all that was needed.36
The demand for trees quickened with settlement because wood was needed for fuel
and construction. Settlers from the well-forested eastern United States disliked
the monotonous treeless landscape of California and immediately began planting
trees near their buildings for beauty, shade and firewood. The eucalyptus could
meet these needs quicker than other trees, and because of this and its enormous
size, it attracted attention.
WHO WAS REALLY FIRST?
There is some speculation as to who was the first person to plant eucalyptus
in California. Most accounts seem to point to W.C. Walker who was the owner of
the Golden Gate Nursery in San Francisco located at Fourth and Folsom Streets.
It is believed that he planted the first seeds in 1853 from 14 different
species.38 In the August 7, 1857 issue of the California Farmer, Walker ran an
advertisement with eucalyptus for sale. At the San Francisco Mechanics Fair of
October 1857, he exhibited three different varieties of eucalyptus.39 One can
conclude that without question, Walker was involved early in the propagation of
eucalyptus in California.
Dr. H.H. Behr of San Francisco, who was a German native and a friend of
Alexander Humboldt, had an interest in eucalyptus which he spoke of often. He
had been to Australia twice, where as a botanist he worked with the renowned
Australian eucalyptologist Baron von Mueller. With such an association, it has
been generally concluded that he either brought eucalyptus seeds from Australia
to California or had them sent to him. Dr. Behr may in turn have given them to
fellow San Franciscan Walker for care and nurture at his nursery. Nevertheless,
California had a resident expert living in San Francisco, in the person of Dr.
Behr, who undoubtedly urged the experimentation of eucalyptus.40
Looking for real hard evidence, H.M. Butterfield did find in1935 an 1858-1859
Golden Gate Nursery Catalog at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. It
listed eucalyptus species as follows:
Eucalyptus Resinfera (Aus.)-- Splendid weeping forest tree. 60 feet. $10.00
" Argentea " -- Argentea foliage 20 feet. $10.00
" Augustifolia " -- dwarf 5 feet $ 5.00
Also noted in the catalog is a list of seeds received from M. Guilfoyle of
Sydney, September 15, 1859. These species were robusta, iron bark, blue gum,
longifolia, nigra, and globosa (globulus?).41
Maybe it was Captain Robert H. Waterman who planted the first eucalyptus seeds
in California? In a biography of this clipper ship captain, entitled That
Fabulous Captain, one finds that Waterman bought land in Suisun Valley for his
retirement and planted eucalyptus in 1853. He apparently commissioned an
ex-first mate to bring eucalyptus seed to him from Australia. Waterman not only
planted seed on his ranch, he gave some to his neighbors as well. The blue gums
currently in the area are felt to be connected with these early plantings.42
Professor Woodbridge Metcalf, one time Forester for the University of
California, Berkeley, and an expert on California eucalyptus, felt from his
research that the first eucalyptus in California appeared at Oakland's
Shellmound Nurseries and Fruit Gardens in 1856.43 Metcalf gives no evidence to
support his claim, but H.M. Butterfield, writing in 1939, notes that the nursery
did have eucalyptus seedlings listed in its stock in 1856 for $5 each.44 The
owner of the nursery was R.W. Washburn, and from the evidence, one can conclude
that he was one of the pioneers in the propagation of eucalyptus in
California. Still another challenge comes from Abbot Kinney, who wrote in 1895,
" The planting of trees of various species of Eucalyptus in California has been
carried on since January 1856, when Mr. C.L. Reimer successfully introduced 14
species."45 Kinney, an important figure in California eucalyptus history, does
not continue the story of this account in his work. Without evidence from Kinney
or other writers, it is difficult to support this claim though one would like to
because of Kinney's importance to eucalyptology.
Taking into consideration all of these accounts and evidence, one seems to
conclude that Behr and Walker were probably the first to propagate eucalyptus in
California. One can state, however, without question, that there were indeed
eucalyptus pioneers on both sides of San Francisco Bay in the 1850's.
INTEREST CONTINUES
Soon the East Bay became the leader in the eucalyptus movement because of the
availability of good land and an agreeable climate for the genus. Stephen Nolan,
owner of Oakland's Bellevue Nursery, was impressed by the rapid growth and
adaptability of Walker's eucalyptus so much that he commissioned a sea captain
to bring him eucalyptus seed from Australia which he planted in 1861. He sold
the seedlings and continued to buy seed to expand his eucalyptus interests.46
His 1871 catalog lists 34 species selling for 25 to 50 cents a plant with blue
gum costing a mere 10 cents.47 The eucalyptus tree was a curiosity to most and
were bought for beauty or shade.48
Involved in the early dissemination of eucalyptus were Bishop William Taylor,
his wife Annie, and James T. Stratton, who was California's Surveyor-General.
Bishop Taylor, minister of Alameda's Methodist Episcopal Church, visited
Australia in 1862 while on a worldwide evangelical crusade. He sent eucalyptus
seed to Annie, who planted them, and gave away or sold thousands of seedlings.49
General Stratton got seeds from Annie Taylor and was the first to plant blue gum
on a large scale. In 1869, he planted forty-five acres on hill land behind
Hayward in Alameda County. In 1880, he cut down 20 acres to make way for an
orchard.50 In 1870, Stratton won a $50 prize from the State Board of Agriculture
for his effort in planting such a large number of eucalyptus trees. He kept
records of his work with eucalyptus to share with other interested growers.51 In
Kern County Weekly Courier of August 1, 1874, this appeared:
The two Australian gum trees . . . on James T. Stratton's place in East Oakland,
have probably the largest family in the world. From their seed has sprang over
one hundred and fifty thousand trees, and the seed of these are already over
fifty thousand more, that is two hundred thousand children and grandchildren all
told.52
Curiously enough in the column next to this article was an advertisement for
eucalyptus medicine. It read: "Double Extract of Eucalyptus for Fever and Ague
at G.B. Chester's."53 Thus as early as 1872, just two decades after the
introduction of eucalyptus into California, the tree was making itself known
even to isolated regions of the state.
Stratton, owner of the Gum Tree Nurseries in Hayward, W.A.T. Stratton, a
nurseryman in Petaluma, and Major Locke of Pasadena were the biggest producers
and distributors of eucalyptus in the 1870's. In 1873, James Stratton marketed
50,000 seedlings, and in 1876, W.A.T. Stratton shipped 5,000 seedlings in just
one day. Major Locke supplied 200,000 seedlings in 1877. There was a shortage of
seedlings because of rising demand consequently eucalyptus seed was sold.54
Interest in eucalyptus was beginning to surface too at the state government
level. Its support in regard to experimentation and testing would be crucial.
There was a section on "Australian Forest Trees" in the 1868 Transactions of the
State Agriculture Society. Much of it was a reprint of a von Mueller's essay
praising the eucalyptus for its rapid growth and size. The Transactions also
noted that a recent botanical display by the society contained eucalyptus logs.
It commented, "These woods generally are very hard and dense, and as they can
all be naturalized in California, and many of them are already introduced, some
facts about them have special interest."55
In 1870, in its biennial report, the State Board of Agriculture spoke of the
need of "artificial forests" in California to cover the barren terrain. It was
the duty of the board to stop any further destruction of the state's forest and
to encourage the planting of new vegetation. To quote, "It is a matter of no
less importance to encourage and foster the growth and cultivation of artificial
forests."56
Further in its report, the board noted that California had no natural hardwoods
which were needed in the manufacture of wagons, carriages, and agriculture
implements. California's climate prevented any eastern hardwood to be successful
in the state, but the board noted, "We have also imported and grown successfully
some of the most valuable varieties of hard wood trees from Australia, and the
timber produced from these is also to be equal to that grown in its native
country." The board went on to recommend that a prize be given to the grower of
"the largest quantity of useful forest trees planted during the year."57 The
prize was the $50 awarded to James T. Stratton for his eucalyptus enterprise.
In 1862, a state law was passed to protect timber. It disallowed the cutting of
trees on private land or public streets which seems extreme, but it was needed
to stress the importance of trees to the state. This was followed by the another
state law, the Tree Culture Act of 1868, which encouraged the planting of shade
and fruit trees along California roads. In it the various county boards of
super- visors were given the responsibility of coordinating the effort within
their jurisdiction. Growers would get $1 per planted tree after the tree had
grown for four years.
The project was not much of a success mostly because of a lack of interest, and
there were some budgetary difficulties. Still it was a positive effort because
the public was officially notified of the need of trees in the state, and the
government was willing to adopt programs to help. The federal government too
promoted programs to encouraged tree planting. In 1873 a federal law was enacted
which gave 160 acres to anyone who planted 40 acres in trees and maintained them
for a period of eight years.58
Towards the end of the century, one could already see on the California horizon
lofty eucalyptus trees whose silhouettes resembled ship's masts and its foliage,
the billowing sails. These mature eucalyptus trees were evidence that serious
planting of eucalyptus had occurred decades before and indeed the eucalyptus did
grow fast and was sizeable.
Distinctive individual trees could be seen like the blue gum planted in 1856
along Milpitas Road in San Jose by retired ship captain Joseph Aram. He retired
from sea duty and opened a nursery in San Jose.59 It was speculated that
eucalyptus had been planted as early as 1855 on the University of California,
Berkeley campus,60 but documents do show that six species were planted on the
campus in 1877.61 Other early trees include the eucalyptus planted by Richard
Davis at the corner of G and 15th Streets in Sacramento.62
A similar debate occurs as to who planted the first eucalyptus just in southern
California. Nothing conclusive has been established. One account attributes
William Wolfskill, owner of Rancho Santa Anita, to have received seed from the
Taylors in 1863 or 1865 and planted a dozen trees.63 It may have been Albert
Workman, a native of Australia, who imported seed from his homeland and planted
it on his Canoga Park ranch in the early 1870's.64 At this time many southern
California ranches received seed from the government seedling and seed program
which muddles the water some.65 The first large acreage in southern California
was planted by Ellwood Cooper and J.L. Barker, both of Santa Barbara County, in
1872. They planted 100 acres with 150,000 blue and red gums. Near Los Angeles,
in 1874 and 1875, the Widney and Nadeau groves were planted.66
The printed media played an important role in the propagation of eucalyptus
by its articles, advertisements, and promotional seed giveaways. The California
Farmer became one of the biggest distributors of eucalyptus seed. In 1872, with
a $4 subscription customers received packets of eucalyptus seed.67 The
magazine's owner was Colonel Warren who was an acquaintance of W.C. Walker of
Golden Gate Nursery. In 1875, California Farmer ran advertisements for thousands
of eucalyptus seedlings which clearly shows the massive scope of the rising
industry.68 Pacific Rural Press too was a strong proponent of eucalyptus and ran
practical articles on planting, care and economics. These two periodicals had an
enormous impact on the expansion of eucalyptus growing in the state.
TO THE END OF THE CENTURY
The first publication in California on the eucalyptus was compiled by Ellwood
Cooper of Santa Barbara. It contained a lecture given by Cooper in 1870 and
writings by the famed eucalyptologist Baron Ferdinand von Mueller of Australia
all which was mentioned earlier in this study. This compilation contained
philosophical discussions of forests, especially eucalyptus, and information
concerning eucalyptus species, planting, and economics of harvesting. Cooper was
one of the first to plant eucalyptus in an experimental sense. He examined
growth, soils, and environmental factors keeping records which he shared with
interested growers.69 His ranch, "Ellwood," was near the ocean and typically
rocky and hilly which gave his experiments a variety of soils, elevation, and
localized climates.
Cooper began his work with eucalyptus by contacting Thomas Adamson who was the
U.S. Consul-General in Melbourne, Australia. He wrote and asked Adamson for
seeds and information about eucalyptus. Along with eucalyptus seed, Adamson sent
some of von Mueller's written works giving Cooper permission to publish them.
Cooper in return sent fifty copies of his publication back to von Mueller. This
way the botanist Baron could be informed of the progress of eucalyptus in
California and share that information with others.70
Cooper's lecture in 1870 at Santa Barbara College was a milestone in the history
of California eucalyptus. He spoke of the importance of forests in general to
world climates, and that local climates could be changed by trees. He felt
California could have a "perfect climate" by transforming the existing one with
belts of trees. He recommended that California plant belts of eucalyptus from
100 to 150 feet wide and a quarter mile long at right angles to the prevailing
wind. These belts would occupy 1/8 of California's landmass71 and serve not only
as alterers of climate, but as protective windbreaks as well. He reasoned,
Contemplate the beauty, the grandeur, the productiveness of the great valleys
of the Sacramento, the San Joaquin, the Salinas Plain, and every strip of
arable land in the state, with belts of eucalyptus trees . . . with such
shelter, California would become the paradise of the world.72 It is known and
proved that three fourths of surface will produce more, if protected by trees
planted in the other fourth.73
Cooper felt that property owners had a moral obligation to plant trees to
provide a better environment. Economically, he argued, they would be compensated
from returns on firewood and from crops protected by windbreaks.74 His lecture
was a stirring one in which he used logic, reason, and appeals to ethic and
moral standards of the day. He strongly urged the planting of eucalyptus. He
implored, "What shall we plant? The rapidity of growth of the blue gum, and the
facility with which it can be propagated, is a feature of great importance . . .
"75 He continued, "Who does not look with an honest pride on the beautiful
creation which, with a generous spirit, he has raised up around him."76
Cooper supplied eucalyptus seed to interested growers such as his good friend
Judge Charles Fernald, who in turn provided seed to horticultural societies and
organizations interested in forestry. Cooper was active statewide in forestry
and served on the State Board of Forestry and the Commission of Horticulture.
His contribution to the preservation and propagation of trees was enormous. He
had a special love for the eucalyptus which he considered to be blessed with
promise. His excitement for the genus can be seen in this glowing proclamation:
He (grower) increases certainty of his crops, decreases one-fourth of his
labor, beautifies his home, improves the climate, doubles the value of his
land, receives inspiration from this work of his own hands, elevates his own
condition, and adds to the refinement of himself, his family, and all his
surroundings.77
Advocates such as Cooper and the printed media served as prime motivators in a
movement that was picking up momentum. But there is nothing like visual proof
for the skeptical. Now one could see the much-discussed eucalyptus growing in
abundance particularly along the California coast and in the inland valleys.
Also one could go to the many nurseries where eucalyptus seed, seedlings, and
literature was available. For many, growing eucalyptus was a reasonably-priced
experiment.
The Central Pacific Railroad took an avid interest in the eucalyptus. The
railroad constantly needed materials for its lines primarily for ties, poles,
posts, and firewood. The eucalyptus conceivably could produce these necessary
supplies according to contemporary information. The railroad also wanted to
attract settlers to buy railroad land adjacent to the tracks. The plan was to
beautify the barren landscape with fast-growing eucalyptus as an enticement.
In 1877, Assistant Chief Engineer for the Central Pacific Railroad, J.D.
Scupham, bought 40,000 eucalyptus seedlings, mostly blue gum, from nurseries in
Oakland and Hayward. The railroad planted the seedlings in the San Joaquin
Valley and in some instances near wells as an attraction to settlers. The next
year, 250,000 seedlings were bought from Locke of Pasadena and 300,000 from
George Baxter of Hayward. In the two year planting program, the railroad planted
about one million trees. The program was a bust though. Soon it was discovered
that eucalyptus ties would crack and check if not seasoned properly. These ties
could not hold a spike in place securely which was obviously of great importance
to track stability. The eucalyptus wood also rotted away easily.78 Thus ended
the first real experiment of eucalyptus for an industrial purpose. Decades later
the Santa Fe Railroad would curiously repeat the exact same experience.
Government agencies continued their support of eucalyptus through their
informative literature and seed distribution programs. For example, the State
Forestry Commission sold seeds at a very low price of the better eucalyptus
species. The University of California had a program of offering free seed to
interested growers.79 Experiment stations were also established by the
government.
In 1887, the State Board of Forestry received land donations on which to build
experiment stations.80 Experiment stations were instituted at Santa Monica,
Chico, Merced, Hesperia, San Jacinto, and Lake Hemet. At the Santa Monica
station one could buy eucalyptus seedlings for $3 or $4. This program was
primarily designed to stimulate interest at the local nurseries. It was believed
generally that eucalyptus could be grown for profit, and all that was needed was
encouragement in the right places. It was reported that in 1890, the Santa
Monica station distributed 76,000 eucalyptus seedlings to 421 interested
growers. This station was experimenting with 55 eucalyptus species.81
In 1887, the State Board of Forestry was disbanded, and its authority and
experimental stations were transferred to the College of Agriculture at the
University of California, Berkeley. The college dean was E.W. Hilgard who
distributed eucalyptus seed and seedlings of various species to the public. By
1900 the college was the authority on eucalyptus in California. Work at the
experiment stations continued with Santa Monica and Chico stations being the
most active.82
Municipalities took an interest in eucalyptus. Trees were planted for shade and
to beautify parks and streets. In the 1880's, San Francisco's Mayor Adolph
Sutro, along with local school children, planted eucalyptus on Arbor Days at the
Presidio, Sutro Forest, Mount Davidson, and Yerba Buena Island.83 Over 300,000
trees were planted in Golden Gate Park by John McLaren, many which were
eucalyptus.84
Abbot Kinney of Santa Monica made major contributions to the propagation of the
eucalyptus. He served as the chairman of the State Forestry Bureau from 1886 to
1888, and as State Forester, he distributed an untold quantity of free
eucalyptus seeds and seedlings throughout the state. His only request was that
growers keep records which would serve as information for prospective growers.
Kinney served as roadmaster in the Santa Monica area where he lined the roads
with eucalyptus and planted a multitude of seedlings on his ranches in Santa
Monica and San Gabriel Valley. He lectured and published a very important work
in 1895 with the simple title of Eucalyptus.85 It was the most comprehensive
treatment at the time containing instructions on planting and care of eucalyptus
with accounts on experiments and detailed descriptions of species. It was an
encyclopedic document.
By the end of the nineteenth century, California had been fully invaded by the
eucalyptus. It could be seen most anywhere in the state where climate permitted.
It was being used for fuel, windbreaks, medicines, shade, and beautification.
Writing in Out West in 1904, Alfred McClatchie observes, "Without the
Eucalyptus, California would be a very different state. What she owes to them it
is impossible to fully estimate. Nothing short of being entirely deprived of
these trees would enable her citizens to realize how much their presence means.
Without them, landscapes now varied and softened by their presence would be
comparatively monotonous and unattractive. Winds would sweep unchecked over
regions where their progress is now impeded by avenues and groves of Eucalypts.
Orchards that in the shelter of Eucalypts are profitable would be unproductive.
Had not these trees been introduced, the fuel problem would be a very different
one. Were some agency to destroy all the Eucalypts now growing in California,
the price of real estate would fall at once.".86
The whole eucalyptus tree could be used from its roots to its crown, from its
bark to its foliage. It not only provided fuel, windbreaks, medicine, shade and
beauty, it also was lumber for implements, nectar for bees, pulp for paper, and
chemical for boiler cleaning. When cut down, the eucalyptus would resprout
providing yet another crop of products within a few years. It appeared to be a
miracle tree only limited by one's imagination. It created an excitement leading
to a surge of interest that would become the boom of 1905 to 1912.
Waxing poetic, California writer Lawrence Clark Powell speaking at Mills
College, with its eucalyptus groves, cooed, " . . . no tree is more beautiful in
the wind or against the sky, and none provides better nesting for the
soft-voiced mourning dove. As for firewood, the bittersweet smell of this wood
is evidence of a non-sparking blaze almost as slow-burning oak."87
But not everyone was enchanted by the genus, and the numbers would grow when
soon its true economic value would be revealed. These disgruntled individuals
would disdainfully refer to the eucalyptus as the "Australian weed." In this
passage from Old Calabria, novelist Norman Douglas vents his disgust on the
wonder tree:
A single eucalyptus can ruin the faire landscape. No plant on earth rustles
such a horribly metalic fashion when the wind blows through these everlasting
withered branches; the noise chills on the marrow; it is like the sibilant chant
of ghosts. Its oil is called "medicine" only because it happens to smell rather
nasty; it is worthless timber, objectionable in form and hue -- objectionable
above all things, in its perverse, and inhuman habits. What other tree would
have the effrontery to turn the sharp edge of its leaves -- as if these were not
narrow enough already! of their minimum of shade and maximum discomfort to
mandkind?88
FROM RAG TO RICHES, MAYBE?
Many of the eucalyptus trees seen today in California base their existence on
the eucalyptus boom of 1905-1912, during which time, large eucalyptus
plantations were created with the hope of reaping sizeable profits. The tree
promised much. Its rapid growth and size were well-known. Californians had
developed valuable uses for it. It was promoted by the print media, government,
the University, and enthusiasts who gave lectures and published essays on it. It
was a rising star that received yet another boost in 1907. The U.S. Forest
Service issued a report entitled "The Waning Hardwood Supply and the Appalachian
Forests." The eucalyptus is a hardwood which could fill this void.
In the 1870 Biennial Report of the State Board of Agriculture, there was a
discussion concerning the need of hardwood in California. Californians already
had to import hardwood from eastern United States and Australia because none
grew in the state. The report encouraged the planting of "artificial forests" to
meet this need.89 At this time, Ellwood Cooper was clamoring for the same
activity, and he was trying to show the economic viability of eucalyptus with
the hope that it would meet the hardwood needs of the state in the future.
Building on this idea in 1888, George McGillivrey published an article in
Overland Monthly entitled "The Economic Value of the Eucalyptus" in which he
presented the many possible products the eucalyptus could produce. He based his
pitch on the manufacturing done in Australia; however, this was manufacturing
that utilized centuries-old eucalyptus instead of young trees which is a crucial
distinction. McGillivrey went on to praise the adaptability of the eucalyptus to
California and the possibilities of its many species. It was quite simple to
him. Just plant eucalyptus and "while quietly the forest advances almost without
expenditure and care, its wood treasures increase from year to year without
taxing the patience of generations."90 He summarizes, "The propagation of
Eucalyptus is easy, rapid, and inexpensive."91 Who could argue differently after
seeing the process and its living results.
With articulate men in the eucalyptus industry praising the value of the tree,
and with government and the University supporting the effort, anyone with some
interest and finances could easily be persuaded to invest in the industry that
was still in its infancy. It looked like an investment too good to pass up to
any intelligent person.
Abbot Kinney added more wood to the eucalyptus fire with his advocacy in
lecture, publication, and experimentation. He was considered an eucalyptus
authority and a sensible businessman. In many ways, he was model of what others
could do if they too became active in the industry. He had records of positive
results from his eucalyptus farming and spoke eagerly on the subject.
On the eve of the eucalyptus boom, Alfred James McClatchie, horticulturalist at
the Arizona Experimental Station in Phoenix, published a U.S. Bureau of Forestry
bulletin entitled "Eucalypts Cultivated in the United States." This 1902
document was chock-filled with history, discussion of horticultural techniques
and uses of eucalyptus. It was an impressive publication of information and
encouragement where every part of the eucalyptus seemed to have a use and solid
economic value. McClatchie reduced and summarized much of the bulletin in two
articles he published in 1904 in Out West, a widely circulated magazine. In Out
West he wrote, "The Eucalypts serve a greater value of useful purposes than the
trees of any other genus existing on the globe today."92 This was the attitude
of most heading into the boom. The eucalyptus boom got immediate support from
the 1907 U.S. Forest Service circular with the title "The Waning Hardwood Supply
and the Appalachian Forests," written by William L. Hall which was mentioned
before. It was a frank discussion of the shrinking supply of hardwood so needed
by many industries in the United States. It was a scary report that received
wide publicity. In it, Hall presented the facts concerning the remaining
hardwood supply in each Appalachian state. It was bleak. Harvested amounts were
falling off, but there was also a decline in demand. Nevertheless, something had
to be done to fill the gap. Hall wrote at the end of the circular:
The inevitable conclusion is that there are lean years close ahead in the use
of hardwood timber. There is sure to be gap between the supply which exists and
the supply which will have to be provided. How large that gap will be depends
upon how soon and how effectively we begin to make provision for the future
supply. The present indications are that in spite of the best we can do there
will be a shortage of hardwoods running through at least fifteen years.93
Hall felt though that softwood, metal, and concrete would replace hardwood
eventually in many instances.94 To demonstrate the alarm produced by the report,
one author grimly records, "History shows that following in the wake of timber
exhaustion, invariably will be found decaying civilization, race,
disintegration, national corruption and dissolution."95 Hoping to circumvent any
such demise, there were investors digging deeply into their pockets to finance
an answer. The miraculous eucalyptus seemed to be the solution to many though
Hall made no mention of it in his report.
The rush was on. There were a flurry of articles expressing the importance of
eucalyptus in the hardwood question. George Peavy, beginning in 1909, wrote a
series of articles for the California Weekly entitled "Eucalyptus in
California," which were designed to enrich and encourage those involved in the
eucalyptus industry. He reported that there were "fully one hundred companies
engaged either in planting eucalyptus seedlings, contracting to plant acreage,
selling acreage in prospective plantations, or selling stock in companies whose
avowed object is to plant, care for, and harvest the product of eucalyptus
plantations."96 There now was a full-blown eucalyptus industry in California.
Peavy believed there to be a market for eucalyptus hardwood because the amount
of hardwood harvested from 1899 to 1906 had decreased by 15.3%. But was this
because of decrease in demand or decrease in availability? It was the former,
but Peavy still expected that the eucalyptus would be a major supplier of
hardwood soon because of its rapid growth. To be successful in the market place,
he highly recommended that the eucalyptus grower be scientific by selecting the
proper species and land.97
State Forester, George Lull, published two articles in 1909 and a circular for
the State Board of Forestry. His articles appeared in Grizzly Bear and the
California Weekly. His approach to the eucalyptus boom was cautionary but still
supportive. This could be by virtue of his position in which a more conservative
stance was expected. He did feel that the eucalyptus could play a key role in
the hardwood shortage. Lull did warn though, just like Peavy, that to be
successful it was necessary to plan, develop, and care for land and trees
scientifically.98
In any industrial boom, there is always the problem of the unscrupulous schemer
those who will distort fact to gain profit. Promotional literature from
eucalyptus companies came under scrutiny. Lull urged interested investors to
compare the information in the companies' prospectuses to the studies found in
government publications especially on eucalyptus growth and harvest yield. There
were a few eucalyptus companies that were investigated by authorities concerning
their ethics. A committee of real estate agents and foresters was created in Los
Angeles just to review promotional literature.99
It was this statement made by Lull which got him into some difficulty: It would
appear to require no wizard's mind to foresee that this State will
become, within the next twenty years, the base of hardwood supplies and the
home of the hardwood manufacturers. If such should be the case the
long-despised eucalypts will be
greater wealth-producers than the orange or any other of California's famous
crops.100
He also commented that eucalyptus was similar to oak and hickory as a hardwood.
It was felt by his critics that he had overstepped his bounds because such
commentary would invite wildcat investments throwing the industry into a
whirlwind of gluttonous activity. It was felt that control was needed not chaos
in the fragile infant industry.
Lull continued to take what he thought was a reasonable stance on the issue. He
even criticized Peavy in a letter he wrote to California Weekly concerning
Peavy's statistics. He indicated that Peavy had used 1903 figures in his article
which did not apply in 1909. Lull was trying to make it known, even though he
had been overzealous in his prediction, that the government wanted growers and
investors to move cautiously and verify information before plunging forward.101
The federal government got involved in the issue. In 1910, H.S. Betts and C.
Stowell Smith authored an U.S. Forest Service circular with the title
"Utilization of California Eucalypts." The circular warned the public of the
possibility of being misled by published statistics which over-projected yields
and profits. It wanted it to be clearly known that the Forest Service was still
uncertain that the eucalyptus would bring in the returns the industry was
expecting.102
The reason for this caution and guarded skepticism can be seen in this comment
from the authors Betts and Smith: " The problem utilizing eucalyptus wood
readily without undue waste is a difficult one because of its tendency to warp,
shrink, and check during drying."103
They went on to note that the promise of eucalyptus in California was based on
the old virgin forests of Australia. This was a mistake as the young trees being
harvested in California could not compared in quality to the centuries-old
eucalyptus timber of Australia. It reacted differently to harvest. The older
trees didn't split or warp as the infant California crop did. There was a vast
difference between the two, and this would doom the California eucalyptus
industry.104
Having looked at the publications by authorities whose views had a great impact
on the eucalyptus boom and also its demise, let's dip into the boom itself and
see first-hand its frenzied activity. Knowledge of the eucalyptus had already
spread across the United States. Those in forestry circles knew it was a
fast-growing tree that could provide strong and durable wood if given the proper
treatment. In California some had grown eucalyptus on prime agriculture land
with excellent results. The government had done tests on certain species to
determine its strength and durability. Those results were admirable. Eucalyptus
simply showed great promise.
Eastern furniture companies, aware of the shrinking hardwood supply, and having
heard about the eucalyptus industry in California, wanted to relocate in the
West. Charles Glum, representing a large Philadelphia furniture company,
commented: "We have been on the coast for several weeks, with the view of
acquiring lands for the growing of the red Eucalyptus tree . . . I am of the
opinion that the gum is a harder wood and is more suitable for furniture
purposes . . . It will be necessary to move our factories to this coast . . .
In fact, all the large eastern manufacturers are working along the same
lines."105
In 1907, the first nursery that was exclusively eucalyptus, produced 600,000
seedlings in its first year. By 1911, all eucalyptus nurseries together in
California would have a total production of 7 1/2 million seedlings.106 It took
144 men and 100 horses to plant fields of 1,600 acres in eucalyptus. One
manufacturing and milling company bought acreage to supply its saws with
eucalyptus lumber. This same company had plans to build a factory to process
eucalyptus for implements, vehicle stock, and flooring. The company
enthusiastically stated, "Demands for the product are so great that the factory
will not be able to supply all the orders offered."107
Hughes Manufacturing and Lumber Company of Los Angeles was using eucalyptus
extensively and the demand was so great that orders were hard to fill.108 In
reaction to demand for information about eucalyptus, the State Board of Forestry
published a circular entitled, "A Handbook for Eucalyptus Planters." It dealt
with planting, species, soils, moisture, and climate. It also contained studies
on size, age, and yield done by measuring specimens at plantations throughout
the state. The purpose was to head off wild production claims.109
It seems that eucalyptus companies were using statistics from the Forestry
Society of California, a non-governmental entity. An investigation was launched
into society's practices especially the information in its literature. It found
that an advertising agency had gathered the statistics and produced the
brochures. The society had to be reorganized and its literature cleaned up to
the satisfaction of the investigating authorities.110 Still company prospectuses
were as one would expect, slick brochures with glowing statements and carefully
selected pictures. The advertising prospectus of the Mahogany Eucalyptus and
Land Company of Oakland was largely a pictorial presentation containing
photographs of trees, nurseries and plantations. Its text made claims in the
usual superlative fashion, such as, "This tree at this particular moment is in
many instances the most valuable one on the face of the globe. Maturity is in a
decade or two. No Teak, Mahogany, Ebony, Hickory or Oak was ever tougher,
denser, stronger or of more glorious hardness . . . "111
The prospectus went on to proclaim that the eucalyptus could grow to over 500
feet and that the company's plantations were fully active. It spoke of the many
uses of the eucalyptus and about its healing nature as a medicine. The company
claimed nine nurseries and had photographs of them. Throughout, the prospectus
was nicely done, used typical selling techniques, and didn't appear to be
dishonest except maybe the usual exaggerations which one would expect. It ended
by saying, "The purpose of the prospectus is to show that the Company's money
investiture in Eucalyptus is as the Rock of Gibraltar for impregnable strength
and strategic position."112
The president of the Mahogany Eucalyptus and Land Company was Frank C. Havens
who did indeed plant eucalyptus throughout the Oakland hills. He got seed from
Australia and planted millions of seedlings on 3,000 acres. He built a sawmill,
and the company's arboretum contained sixty varieties of eucalyptus. The company
was incorporated in December 1910 and was dissolved in February 1913. Its impact
can still be seen today in the forests that grace the landscape.113
The eucalyptus companies advertised for investors to be partners in the
enterprise. An investor could buy land fully planted and make monthly payments.
The company did all of the work, and shared what profits there were with their
business partners. It took normally ten years before a profit could be realized.
An acre planted in eucalyptus cost $250 with the promise of making $2,500 an
acre at harvest time ten years later.114 This offer was tempting, and "widows,
teachers, and small businessmen invested their life savings in the eucalyptus
boom. Farmers ripped out staple crops to plant eucalyptus."115
The railroads took an interest. Santa Fe Railroad planted eucalyptus on
thousands of acres at Rancho Santa Fe for ties, poles, and interior woods for
railroad cars. By 1908, the railroad discovered, just as the Central Pacific
Railroad did several decades before, that unseasoned eucalyptus wood twisted and
cracked thus putting an end to their project.116 Even the novelist Jack London
got into the act. He planted 100,000 trees on his ranch with the intention of
using the wood for furniture. This would not eventuate.117
From Fall 1909 to Spring 1910, 23,000 acres in California were planted in
eucalyptus, mostly red and blue gums. These investments were obviously at an
infancy stage as it would take years before harvesting could take place.
Eucalyptus still at this point was being used primarily for firewood.118
The boom fizzled. It was found that eucalyptus wood could not be seasoned
properly to do the things that had been anticipated. Tests of seasoning were
performed and processes were structured for proper curing, but there was a great
dissatisfaction with these. Eucalyptus wood warped, cracked, twisted, and became
too tough once cured. The yields that were projected it was found would take too
many years to be realized. The hardwood shortage that spurred the boom was
resolved by the use of steel, cement, and other substitutes. Wagons and
carriages were being replaced by metal automobiles thus ending that hardwood
market. Using eucalyptus for fuel was diminished by the discovery and rising use
of oil, gas, and electricity.
The boom ended. Lumber mills using exclusively eucalyptus timber closed.
Furniture manufacturers moved back East. Plantation trees were sold for
firewood. Pharmacologists dropped their support which meant that eucalyptus
would not be used in most medicines. Prime agriculture land was returned to
traditional crops. Nurseries unloaded their eucalyptus stock. Through the rest
of the twentieth century eucalyptus would be used mostly for fuel, windbreaks,
and in certain medicines.
Not everyone was enchanted with the eucalyptus anyway, and now even more felt a
dislike as represented in this sarcastic piece from The Argonaut:
There is a craze all over the state about the eucalyptus or Australian blue gum
tree . . . Eucalyptus will frighten away fevers and murder malaria. Its leaves
cure asthma. Its roots knocks out ague as cold as jelly. Its bark improves that
of a dog. A dead body buried in a coffin made from the wood of the blue gum
will enjoy immunity from the exploring mole and the penetrating worm . . . this
absurd vegetable is now growing all over the State. One cannot get out of its
sight . . . crops up everywhere in independent ugliness. It defaces every
landscape with botches of blue and embitters every breeze with suggestions of an
old woman's medicine chest. Let us have no more of it.119
THE DOLDRUMS
For the next 40 years, the country would see wars and a great depression.
Interest in eucalyptus declined dramatically and farmers turned to irrigated
crops especially in the inland valleys. However, the eucalyptus was well and
flourishing. Beautiful forests dotted the coastal hillsides and crevices. They
had become a permanent fixture so much so that most residents of the state
believed them to be native. Left untouched, their size even awed visiting
Australians. Magazines recognized these mammoths by carrying travel articles
which pointed out special groves or unique individual trees.
RENEWED INTEREST
There was a spawning of interest in the 1950's. The Masonite Corporation
tested various eucalyptus species in regard to fibreboard. In the 1960's, the
University of California Cooperative Extension launched a program to identify
eucalyptus species determining which ones grew the fastest. Quick growth tied
with economics is always of interest. New species were being tested such as
nitens, glaucens, and ovata.120
The energy crisis of the 1970's and a renewed interest in small-acreage farming
brought attention to the miracle eucalyptus. Alternative sources of energy was
high on the agenda. Instead of turning generators with petroleum fuel, biomass
fuel, such as wood and other similar substances, was being considered. This form
of energy was examined by the University of California and the State Forestry
Department, and in the 1980's, nine biomass study sites were created.121
Environmental tolerances of the various eucalyptus species are now being tested
provoked by recent California droughts and freezes. New smaller species are
being genetically produced primarily for highway and urban planting. There are
between 70 to 100 species growing in California today.122
The 1980's did usher in renewed large scale growing of eucalyptus for biomass
fuel, fibreboard, and pulp for paper. Some growers have planted 30 acres or more
with 80,000 to 100,000 seedlings. There are small growers too who may have of an
acre of land planted in eucalyptus for firewood. Cords of cut wood are bringing
$125 to $180. Windbreaks are still being planted for protection of crops and
residences. In the recent droughts, certain species of eucalyptus are proving to
be survivors and thus are used for shade and ornamentation requiring little
care.123
Eucalyptus workshops have been held in Sacramento for the exchange of ideas and
new findings. One such workshop was held June 14-16, 1983 and covered such
topics as history, species selection, products, uses, economics, growth and
yield, cultural requirements, propagation, and breeding programs. Another
workshop was held May 9, 1991.
Eucalyptus is found worldwide and is in major industrial production in Brazil
and China. There are environmental and cultural concerns to address. It is for
certain though, like it or not, the eucalyptus will always be a tree of the
future because it has so much to offer humanity.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
The eucalyptus can be found in a variety of sizes with some species being among
the largest trees in the world; whereas, other members of the genus, may be mere
shrubs. It grows on the desert, swampland, valleys, and alpine regions. It
finds nourishment in a complexity of soils and can survive in differing types of
climate.
The eucalyptus is an evergreen and many species grow very rapidly especially
globulus. Mostly erect in form, the tree is strong and usually slender. It is an
aggressive plant whose leaves demand every vestige of sunlight, and its roots
suck up all the moisture within their domain. The color of the wood varies from
white to dark brown depending upon the species with the heartwood and sapwood
being indistinguishable among species. The grain of this hardwood is similar to
hickory or ash and is just as beautiful if handled correctly by the
workworker.124
It propagates best from seed, and because of this, there is no transfer of
disease as would be the case with cuttings or seedlings.125 This has been an
important factor in the success of eucalyptus in California which has been
virtually disease-free; thus, from the beginning of its introduction into
California, eucalyptus seed and not seedlings have been imported from Australia.
IDENTIFICATION
Of all the Australian plants, the eucalyptus species are the most difficult to
distinguish from one another because of their physical similarity.126 The
eucalyptus belongs to the Myrtaceae family in which there are ninety separate
genera. In the eucalyptus genus there are over 600 species, and even this figure
is an estimate, because there are numerous separate varieties that have a
similar nomenclature. This is because trees within an eucalyptus grove grow
closely to each other, producing many hybrids.127
Classification of the various species of the eucalyptus was first attempted in
1789 by M. Willdenow who used the shape of the operculum or lid as his basis. In
1828 Augustin Pyramus de Candolle created another classification which was based
on the leaf's relative position to the stem. Von Mueller designed still another
classification which was contained six bark types. In 1886, George Bentham,
followed still with another based on the anthers, which is where the pollen is
found, and modified by fruit types and types of oil found on the leaves.128
The idea behind formulating a classification is to simplify the identification
of the species. But as one can see, classification is in the eye of the beholder
-- basically how the inquiring scientist sees the plant. Because of advances in
science and technology, identification has been made easier, and because of
this, new species have been found. Other eucalyptus classification systems have
been designed besides the ones noted above, but the method of using the
operculum as a basis seems to be the standard.
CLIMATE
For most eucalyptus species mild climate is the best where there are warm
summers, temperate winters, moderate rainfall, dry atmosphere, and plenty of
sunlight. Temperature tolerance ranges generally between 15 to 100 degrees F.
Quick changes in temperatures, however, are stressful for the eucalyptus
especially in the weaker trees. Occasional storms with heavy rainfall are better
than frequent rain because sunlight is important for growth as well as
moisture.129
The eucalyptus grows best along the coast of central and southern California
which is substantiated by observing the lush healthy groves and forests found in
those areas. An outline of the eucalyptus growing region can be seen be locating
the frostline on a California map. Frost-tolerance varies from species to
species. For example, blue and sugar gums are damaged when temperatures dip
below 26 degrees F. while manna and gray gum can withstand colder temperatures
to 22 degrees F. Seedlings many times are killed by extremes in temperatures
because of their small size and fragile nature.130 Humidity is important to some
species especially the blue gum which does quite well in coastal fogs.131 As a
rule of thumb, most eucalyptus species will be successful wherever citrus and
olive trees are successful as they essentially require the same climatic mix of
moisture and warmth.132
DROUGHT
Drought in recent years has made Californians more conscience of water
conservation especially in regard to plant life. Some eucalyptus species have
proven to be drought resistant. In the 1917, there was a drought in California
where temperatures hovered between 110 and 120 degrees F. It was found that the
foliage on most eucalyptus trees burned with the amount of tree damage being
dependent upon type of soil and wind. Trees in loamy soil did better than those
on sandy soil because it contained more moisture. A survey was done concerning
the number of trees killed by the 1917 drought. It was found that of 2,885 blue
gum trees examined only 9 died. The red gum did even better in that only 10
trees died out of 4,461.133
FROST
The amount of frost an eucalyptus tree can take is determined by the
atmosphere's humidity, the tree's condition, the tree's sap flow, and the age of
the tree. Older trees can take temperatures up to 15 degrees F.; whereas,
younger trees can take only a minimum of 24 degrees F.134 The covering of young
trees with straw or gunnysacks is important to protect them from the cold.
Exposure to sunlight at any point, young or old, is important to a tree's
survival especially in colder weather. Of all the eucalyptus species amygdalina
(peppermint) has proven to be the most resistant to frost.135 This is followed
in frost-tolerance order by red, gray, manna, blue, sugar, and lemon gum
trees.136 To develop a grove of frost-tolerant eucalyptus, collect and plant
seed only from those trees that give evidence of resistance to frost.137
A freeze hit southern California in 1913 where temperatures dropped to 14
degrees F. It was found that not a blue gum was lost, and trees in dense groves
suffered the least because colder temperatures were kept away from the inner
trees. Blue gum resprouted the quickest to replace the foliage that had been
damaged. Plantations having one or two year old trees lost 85% of them. Manna
gum proved to be the most resistant to the cold with only 20% of its foliage
being damaged.138 E.N. Munns, Forest Examiner of the U.S. Forest Service,
studied the damage and published his results in Journal of Forestry. It is an
in-depth study of the species and their damage with the most popular species
having good survival rates.139
In December 1932, temperatures in the Central Valley dropped to 5 degrees F.
Many eucalyptus trees looked destroyed, but because the roots were still alive,
foliage resprouted as warmer weather came forth in the spring. Cold winter
weather is not uncommon in California because the Alaska storm system sweeps the
region. The 1972 freeze did burn back many species of eucalyptus. Once the
litter was cleaned from that freeze, another cold-snap hit in 1990.140 The
species less affected by frost are the ones which grow the slowest. They contain
less water and hence less moisture to freeze. But it is the common thought, that
since eucalyptus resprout anyway after environmental damage, it is still
profitable to plant the faster growing species.141
Recent studies and reports have been published in regard to environmental
tolerance of eucalyptus. New hybrids and clones are being tried with the hope of
finding species that will resist satisfactorily radical temperature
fluctuations.142 A report on frost damage from the 1990 freeze identified
certain factors that determine eucalyptus damage among which are soil moisture
content, duration of the low temperatures, tree size and condition, local
climate, and the time in the season the freeze strikes. In the 1990 freeze,
temperatures went as low as 10 degrees F. in the Bay Area. The eucalyptus trees
suffered enormous amount of damage from curled stems and twigs to split bark.143
It is a fact of life, that freezing weather is unkind to this genus, but it is
also true that it will fight back by producing new sprouts in the warmer months.
It is simply a hard tree to kill.
SOILS
The perfect soil for most eucalyptus species is deep, well-drained loamy soil.
The problem is this soil is used by other more valuable agricultural crops. The
eucalyptus is generally planted on unused or worthless sections of acreage which
contain poorer soil. The chemical composition of the soil is important though in
that large amounts of harsh chemicals will stunt and damage the tree.144 The
soils moisture content too is important because most eucalyptus species are
dependent upon massive amounts of water for their quick growth.145
Water availability depends upon the water table depth. Ideal depth for most
eucalyptus is a water table that is eight to ten feet below the surface. Some
species do well with a water table depth at thirty feet. Hardpan near the soil
surface is not good though because the roots are prevented from seeking the
water table. The roots will in this case grow laterally not giving the tree a
strong and sturdy taproot. Eucalyptus responds well to moist soil through
natural rainfall or irrigation. However, most species won't grow in standing
water such as is found in swampy land. Two species which do excel in such
dampness are the red gum and swampy mahogany.146
Soils for eucalyptus need to contain plant food elements such as potash, lime,
magnesia, iron, phosphoric acid, and humus with high nitrogen content.147
Eucalyptus roots can spread out to 100 feet laterally and sink 60 feet into the
soil.148 There has been much experimentation with eucalyptus growing in alkali
soils. Alkali deposits can stunt a tree's growth until the roots break through
it.149 But there are species that can absorb alkali removing it from the soil so
other crops can be planted successfully. In 1985, over 650,000 eucalyptus and
casurina trees were planted in western San Joaquin Valley to determine the
ability of these genera to remove alkali found in the soil of undrained land.150
SEEDS
Eucalyptus seeds are generally small in size with only a few within a capsule
being fertile. The hardiness of the tree determines the number of seeds it
produces. Trees between twenty to forty years of age produce the most seeds.
Sunlight is needed to germinate seeds that is why in dense forests or groves no
seedlings grow. The canopy of the foliage and the litter on the ground keep the
sunlight out.151 But when a fire sweeps through a forest, seeds are exposed to
sunlight allowing replacement of damaged trees. The eucalyptus produces massive
amounts of seed to allow survival after such environmental damage.152
Many non-native plants do not reproduce from seed naturally, but eucalyptus do
in California.153 This demonstrates its adaptability to foreign climate and
soils. The fruit of the eucalyptus remains unopened until it falls to the
ground. Seed dissemination is uncommon by the wind or birds; consequently,
seedlings appear right beneath the parent tree where the fruit dropped.154
In the early planting years in California, results from eucalyptus seed held
some surprises. Quite often the species desired was not the species produced
from the acquired seed. This caused much discouragement and frustration. Even
seed from known experts were mistakenly identified. For example, Baron von
Mueller sent seed to L. Stengel, a Los Angeles nurseryman, which produce other
species than thought. The problem was not really in the mishandling and
misidentifying seed, but lay in environmental differences. Because California
varies somewhat in climate and soil from Australia, the Australian seed planted
produced a California eucalyptus which is somewhat different in char-
acter.155 Also, many eucalyptus look alike such as the manna and red gums.156
Abbot Kinney remarked in 1895 on seed confusion: " One of my most reliable
correspondents in years gone by has sent me seed marked Eucalyptus polyanthema,
which turned out to be Eucalyptus gunnii, and packages of rostrata that in one
case contained six different species of Eucalyptus."157
Blue gum seeds are small, mostly fertile, and can be kept for up to four years
before planting. One ounce of seed contains 10,000 fertile seeds.158 Still
eucalyptus trees can be difficult to propagate due to the smallness of the seed,
general infertility, and required climates.159 The best time to collect seed is
in late summer or early fall. Spread the seed capsules out in the sun and the
seeds will be expelled from the capsules in a few days. Good seeds will
germinate within a week.160 Start the young seedlings with seeds in flat nursery
boxes. Plant the seedlings in prepared soil after the frosty season. It is best
to plant on cloudy days with the likelihood of slight rain.161
In recent years, seed sources have become extremely important because of the
economics of the massive eucalyptus plantations found in Brazil and China. In
1985, the first seed source studies began to appear where seeds gathered from
various locations in Australia and California were tested for hardiness and
growth.162 Of recent, there has been such a demand for seeds from the Lake
Albacutya area, an Australian national park, to the point where the authorities
are concerned that there is not enough seed left to maintain the natural
forests there. This puts pressure on the non-Australian countries to grow their
own seed for planting.163 In 1987, tests began to enlarge the pool of
California-produced seed. Such studies are important because reliable seed
sources are critical to the future of eucalyptus as a commercial entity.164
In place of seed reproduction cloning of eucalyptus is being tried. This is done
by taking a "rooting" from a stem or stump, and planting it; thus, the new tree
is in reality the same tree or a clone.165 Hybridization can occur though when
several species are in a grove sharing the same soil. Selection of a rooting
then must be done carefully to assure that the desired clone is produced.166
YOUNG PLANTS
Young eucalyptus require frequent watering. Coastal trees usually find enough
moisture from fog where the trees in the inland valleys get water from
irrigation. Weeds need to be eliminated near young trees because they rob the
soil of the life-sustaining nutrients. Also rodents need to be kept away from
seedlings because they will ravish them.167
As the eucalyptus grows its lower branches drop off leaving a trunk that is like
a straight pole. In crowded groves, young trees compete for sunlight making them
straight and thin.168
STRENGTH
Hardness, strength, durability, and flexibility varies with each species.
Eucalyptus is generally very tough, and resists denting, tension, and
torsion.169 Strength tests done early this century found that eucalyptus
compares with white oak and hickory. Australian and California grown eucalyptus
were tested for strength and found that there wasn't any difference.170
Because eucalyptus uses extreme amounts of water to feed its fast growth, the
woodgrains are few, and the texture is very dense. Freshly cut eucalyptus wood
will sink in water because of its weight.171 After being dried, shrinkage of
eucalyptus timber is between 34.6% and 13.5% depending upon the species and
environmental conditions.172
FOLIAGE
The color found in eucalyptus foliage varies according to the species, and
usually it is blue, light or grayish green, or dark green. The foliage varies in
density from sparse to very dense. Young leaves are broad and short becoming
long and narrow as the tree ages. The edges of the leaves point to the sun for
the collecting of sunlight. Leaves are also thick and leathery containing oil
glands which emit a highly-scented odor.173
FLOWERS
In most eucalyptus species, the flowers are noticeable with some being profuse
and showy. Their color varies from white, cream, pink, yellow, and red depending
upon the species.174 There are two types of flowering eucalyptus: one which
flowers once a year and one which flowers most of the year. Only sideroxylon and
polyanthema species are of the former, and amygdalina, regnans, angostrifolia,
and linearis are examples of the latter. The constant availability of pollen for
honey bees year round is an economic advantage, but eucalyptus honey has a
strong peppermint taste and odor which makes it disagreeable to some consumers.
Manufacturers mix it with orange blossom honey for a better taste and scent.175
BARK, TRUNK, and ROOTS
Eucalyptus is known for its shedding bark and its smooth white, almost
porcelain-appearing, surface underneath. Commonly today, along California
freeways, one can see another type of eucalyptus which has a black furrowed
surface that doesn't shed. It doesn't have the artistic appearance of the other
but serves a purpose in the drought exposed areas of the interior.
Baron von Mueller developed a classification of eucalyptus by bark type. For
example, gums have smooth bark which is gray-creme and sheds in ribbons or in
flakes. Bloodwood species can be both smooth-barked or rough-barked. Boxes and
peppermint species have fibrous and closely interlaced bark. Stringybarks are
fibrous, thick, coarse, and don't shed. And ironbarks have black furrowed bark
containing kino or resin which hardens in the air.176
The trunks of many eucalyptus species are erect and straight-grained. The
circumference of these trunks is larger at the bottom gradually getting smaller
going up the trunk. This is a proper shape necessary for poles, masts, and
piles. There are some species that have crooked trunks and are used for other
purposes.177 Some trunks look like mottled marble being silver or white in
color.178 Eucalyptus trunk wood is as hard as hickory and just as tough to
penetrate.179
The root system is important to the eucalyptus primarily because its rapid
growth and size demands large quantities of water. It needs a strong taproot to
secure it and lateral roots to support its size. The taproot needs to sink down
into the soil at least six feet for good anchorage. Lateral roots will spread
out to one hundred feet which can be a problem when planted near buildings and
other types of facilities. The roots and rootlets can disrupt ditches, crack
cisterns, clog water pipes and damage septic tanks.180 Eucalyptus roots are
aggressive.
CROPPING BACK
For survival the eucalyptus has a natural tendency to resprout after it has been
cut back or environmentally damaged. Usually within three to six weeks new
sprouts will appear. It is suggested to keep two to four of the largest and more
erect sprouts while removing the others. This will give those remaining sprouts
the opportunity of being satisfactorily nourished. These new sprouts in reality
are new trees growing from a mature root system.181
The proper time for cutting eucalyptus for lumber and firewood is during the
rainy season. This way there is enough soil moisture for the stumps to sprout
vigorously. After groves have been recut several times, they decrease in rate of
growth and yield. One should consider replanting when depreciation is readily
noticable.182
THE MULTIPLICITY OF USES
Eucalyptus serves man well. It has more useful purposes than any other tree on
earth. For example, it provides forest cover for any terrain from mountains to
swamps. It gives shade and acts as a windbreak. It furnishes gum, resin, oil,
and nectar. When cut it is used for fuel, construction, poles, posts, and
hardwood products. The eucalyptus even has the reputation of improving the
climate in which it grows.183 It has been proclaimed to be "The Tree of
California."184
In its native land of Australia, the eucalyptus was found in virgin forests and
provided the settler with a multitude of products from firewood to strong
timbers. It was used in the manufacture of ships, bridges, railroad ties,
railroad vehicles, wagons, furniture, agricultural implements, paving blocks,
barrels, poles, piles, and posts.185 It was used just like hickory, oak, and ash
in the United States.
It was found in Australia that blue gum wood used inside railroad cars lasted
at least twenty years. Such use requires elasticity, strength, and durability. A
house was
built in Toowoomba from eucalyptus and was still in excellent condition after
thirty years. A bridge crossing the Dawson River containing eucalyptus girders
and piles, forty years later was as strong as when first built.186 Eucalyptus
wood can be as hard as iron and as durable if it receives proper treatment.
Eucalyptus has been used in place of mothballs, to scour out boilers, in various
medicines, pulp for paper, and in landscaping. Today it is used also as biomass
fuel, ply- wood, charcoal, and as an alcohol substitute in gasoline engines.187
It also is being used to drain waste water to eliminate soil salinity.188 (Even
the Israelis have used eucalyptus trees surreptitiously to mark Syrian
targets.189 In Mexico, marijuana and poppy growers have used eucalyptus to hide
their illegal crops.)190 There are so many uses for eucalyptus that it is like
the proverbial pig where everything is used except the oink. In the case of the
eucalyptus, everything is used except the noise from its rattling leaves and
someone might find a use for that with new technology.
AS FOREST COVER
Eucalyptus provides valuable forest cover which can become especially thick if
not maintained properly. Ellwood Cooper was the first to recognize its potential
as a forest cover and discussed it at some length in his lecture at Santa
Barbara College in 1870. He planted eucalyptus on a massage scale at his Santa
Barbara ranch,
beginning with 50,000 trees in 1872. He planted seedlings on hillsides, in
canyons, on ocean bluffs, and flatlands. Cooper planted them not just for forest
cover but for wind-breaks, shade for roads, for timber and firewood. In 1900, he
had 200 acres of eucalyptus forest of various species which was a showcase to
interested public. McClatchie wrote in Out West in 1904:
One can stroll through his groves as through primeval forests. In the
canons, Eucalypts twenty-five years old tower high above oaks that have been
growing there for over two centuries. On hillsides that were formerly bare are
dense forests in which ferns and other shade-loving plants find a home.
Wind-swept plains that formerly gave small returns in the crops to which they
were planted yield abundantly since they have been sheltered by groves of
Eucalypts. For over a score of years Mr. Cooper has been reaping the reward of
his foresight. Besides enjoying the beauty, the shade, and the shelter of his
grove, he has received from them directly a good financial return for his
expenditure.191
FOR FIREWOOD AND BIOMASS FUEL
Using wood as fuel for heating and cooking is as old as man. Because of its
rapid growth, eucalyptus became an attractive fuel and was planted for that
reason and for that purpose. Today, besides the traditional fireplace or
cookstove uses, eucalyptus wood is chipped and used as biomass fuel in the
generation of electricity.192
It was suggested in a 1903 Scientific American article that because of its rapid
growth and size, eucalyptus would replace other fuels such as coal in
California. Fuels from petroleum were entering the mass market at this time and
soon would replace most wood sources. Still most homes used wood for fuel and
industry used wood in its steam engines.193
Wood from most eucalyptus species makes good fuel. Groves of five years will
produce 50 to 60 cords while groves of ten years will supply 80 to 150 cords.
The quality of the soil, irrigation practice, and maintenance will vary the size
of the yield. The cost of cutting the grove is determined by the age of the tree
and the type of species. In 1908, it took one-half of the market price to cut
and stack wood for sale.194
For so many years in southern California, firewood came solely from blue gum
trees. This area was virtually treeless and eucalyptus groves were planted to
service the need. In 1908, this was said about the firewood industry.
The returns of investments in Eucalyptus plantations have been
generous, in many cases exceeding those received from equal areas under
cultivation in orchards or agricultural crops. Groves set out in fertile Los
Angeles Valley have yielded from 50 to 80 cords per acre at every cutting.
Yields of 75 cords per acre every seven or eight years have been frequent.195
In northern California, planting of eucalyptus for firewood before 1900 was not
on a large scale because oak was still available. In 1910, it was predicted that
oak would vanish as agriculture encroached, and consequently forests of
eucalyptus would be needed.196
Eucalyptus burns brightly and has a refreshing fragrance. It is equal to oak as
firewood and is better than other natural California wood. The best fuel comes
from ten
year old trees.
It does cost more to saw and split wood from mature trees because of their size
and hardness. In 1924, eucalyptus firewood garnered profits of $1.50 to $4 a
cord varying according to the condition of the wood, location of the grove, and
other contributing factors. On contract, grove owners had wood cut and stacked
for $8 to $12 a cord. When sold to the customer in the field, a cord brought $10
to $16, but if delivered, a cord would bring $18 to $24. However, when competing
with other wood, eucalyptus might bring as little as $1 a cord depending upon
the distance from the market and the nature of the terrain.197
It was reported in 1908 that eucalyptus wood was sold in 96 cubic feet cords,
known as the "California cord," rather than the usual standard cord of 128 cubic
feet.
Logs were in ten inch lengths rather than the normal eighteen inch lengths and
was bought by consumers without much protest.198
Because of its high water content, eucalyptus wood would shrink by 15% as is the
case with blue gum when seasoned. Eucalyptus wood had to be split quickly after
cutting because as it dried it became very tough. Straight-grained species, such
as sugar and red gums, usually split without difficulty, but blue gum with its
interlocking fibres had to be split immediately. Blue gum too could not be put
directly on the ground as it rotted quickly.199
During the eucalyptus boom, an eucalyptus cutting industry developed in southern
California. Groups of cutters would harvest blue gum on a contract basis. These
traveling gangs of woodcutters would saw and split wood at $2 to $3 a cord. The
growers would in turn sell the wood for $3 to $8 a cord price varying according
to the amount of transportation needed to move the cut wood.200
Over the years the University of California, the U.S. Forest Service, and other
governmental agencies have done numerous tests on eucalyptus comparing species
and comparing eucalyptus to other trees such as oak and hickory. These tests
were done to determine eucalyptus' value as a fuel and as timber resource. These
tests continue today because of the interest in biomass fuel worldwide.
From 1977 to 1984, a growth rate study was done in northern California which
found that the eucalyptus species viminalis and camaldulensis grew faster than
Monterey pine, walnut, and redwood.201 Another study was taking place at the
same time, analyzing the survival and growth characteristics of eucalyptus
species. It was found that globulus, camaldensis, dalyrympleana, and clones of
camaldulensis were the better species in a foothill environment when under an
intensive maintenance program.202
The Simpson Timber Company, Tejon Ranch, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and
U.S. Forest Service's Institute of Forest Genetics collectively ran tests at
twelve eucalyptus groves in California concerning the eucalyptus' viability as a
fuel for industrial plants. Another part of the study was on quality seed
sources. The results were positive as indicated by this remark at Tejon Ranch:
"We started growing eucalypts three years ago and so far it looks promising. If
the trees are profitable, we'll grow them alongside our other cash crops."203 It
was found that blue gums can produce ten tons of dried wood per acre per year.
Such a yield comes from fifty foot eucalyptus trees that are about six to ten
years old. This same yield would take other hardwoods nearly fifty or more years
to produce."204
There are many misconceptions as to the quality of eucalyptus firewood. It is
felt by some that it doesn't generate as much heat as oak and orchard trees. It
is the moisture in the wood that determines heat value. The drier the wood the
more heat value it has. Freshly cut wood generally has about 50% moisture
content. When dried, moisture content is drops to 10% to 25%. Wood from most
eucalyptus species generate heat equal to oak, but orchard wood being denser,
generates more heat. But ultimately, it is the heating appliance (stove) that
really decides the degree of heat produced anyway.205
The oil shortage of 1973 caused the government to look for alternative sources
of energy. It has been suggested that hardwood could be grown on unused federal
lands, and this would supply 5.6% of U.S. energy.206 In 1989, there were at
least seventeen furnaces in the United States that burned wood or biomass wastes
to generate electricity. Some generating stations have explored the possibility
of growing their own trees near the stations for less costly harvesting
process.207
In 1988, Cal-Bio, a biomass firm, had projected the construction of five biomass
plants in California and felt that chipped eucalyptus wood could be used. It
would take 150 to 200 tons of material each year to fulfill the need. But it was
found in a recent study that the cost of harvesting, chipping, and transporting
the woodchips would be too costly to justify the investment. One solution was to
plant trees nearer the biomass plant and plant more acres.208
The estimation of the volume of fuel an eucalyptus tree produces has proven to
be difficult to calculate with a great deal of accuracy. In 1974, the California
Department of Forestry designed a table to project the yield from blue gum
trees, but the table was for trees used as windbreaks and not grown specifically
for fuel. In 1989, another table was developed to remedy the problem.209 It is
not easy to predict yield because there are so many variables that can alter
production, such as the age of the tree, spacing between trees, weather, soil,
pests, and other environmental factors.210
The research now is centered on scientifically producing eucalyptus species
either through genetics, cloning or seed selection. There is a growing body of
scientific literature on the eucalyptus. Recently an eucalyptus organization was
formed which is based in Davis, California. Its name is the Eucalyptus
Improvement Association, and it publishes numerous studies, reports, a quarterly
newsletter, and news of the industry. It is a nonprofit organization consisting
of private landowners, farmers, state and federal agencies, university
extension, and forest industry personnel.
In 1978, the U.S. Department of Energy published a study entitled, "The
Eucalyptus Energy Farm." It is a marvelous document providing a wealth of
information on running one's own energy farm successfully.
An eucalyptus workshop was held in Sacramento, June 14-16, 1983, under the
sponsorship of the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station and the
Cooperative Extension at the University of California, Berkeley. Speakers shared
their knowledge of species selection, products, uses, economics, growth, yield,
cultural requirements, breeding programs, and propagation.211
There is a continuing interest in finding new uses for the eucalyptus. At the
MIE University of central Japan, for example, eucalyptus-produced fuel was used
in a small farm engine. The fuel produced about the same power as gasoline but
emitting 50% less carbon monocide. Cost is a factor because it takes $10 to
produce a litre (1/5 of gallon) while it costs 60 cents to produce petro.212
Eucalyptus is also used to make potash and charcoal. Potash is made by burning
wood in pits, leaching the ashes, and evaporating. But in the late 19th century,
potassium compounds were found and replaced potash in the making of ceramics,
glass, soap, fertilizers, and munitions.213 Eucalyptus produces an excellent
grade of charcoal better than most native California wood. One cord of
eucalyptus makes 1,000 lbs. of charcoal. To produce charcoal, wood is burned in
a kiln for about three weeks. It must be watched constantly which makes it
expensive to manufacture.214
AS WINDBREAKS
Windbreaks are used to reduce the wind's force or velocity to make life more
livable for humans, plants, and animals. It reduces soil erosion and limits
dust. A home can save 30% of its heating and cooling costs by having a windbreak
because it reduces the effect of hot and cold winds. It also provides shade. In
regard to crop production, it reduces wind damage to crops thus yields are
greater. Windbreaks protect stock improving their condition. Milk cows give more
milk, and sheared sheep suffer less. Currently a windbreak could cost $1,500 to
$2,000 but the results pay for it.215
Blue gum trees make the best windbreak. Some of the other species are too short
or they don't have enough foliage to disrupt the wind. When planning a
windbreak, it is important to know the wind patterns in the area and to select
the proper species. In 1950, it was reported that there were two thousand miles
of windbreaks in southern California primarily to protect citrus groves.216
Crop protection is vital in California as some agricultural crops would fail
without the benefit of eucalyptus windbreaks. This commentary reveals that
importance:
In citrus sections, such as the Santa Paula, San Fernando, San Bernardino, San
Gabriel, and Santa Ana valley, windbreaks alone render the production of citrus
fruits profitable. In unprotected orchards, nearly the entire crop is frequently
blown from the trees, or so scarred and bruised that the grade and market value
are much reduced. Orchard trees are even broken or partially defoliated during
severe storms."217
Windbreak trees must be "wind-firm." The eucalyptus has an extensive lateral
root system which makes it "wind-firm." Blue gum is a perfect windbreak tree
because it has strong root anchorage, a flexible stem (trunk), and foliage that
redirects wind. Its foliage does not stop the wind but directs it upward which
is ideal for crop protection.218
In northern California, eucalyptus windbreaks are used to protect vineyards, nut
and fruit trees, vegetables, and grain. As one has observed, "Eucalyptus
windbreaks in some sections have changed the aspect of the country, and by
moderating the winds have greatly improved climate. Waste and sandy stretches
have been turned to productive agricultural use."219 In Oxnard, windbreaks hold
in place loose sand which is usually buffeted by strong gusty winds. The sugar
beet industry in Oxnard would be non-existent if it weren't for the
windbreaks.220 In the Salinas Valley, windbreaks divert winds that could ruin
truck farming crops.221
Eucalyptus windbreaks protect towns and seaports from damage. In the latter,
docked vessels are left secure and unharmed by fierce winds that can hammer the
sea
coast. Sand stays in place and does not drift. It is recommended that eucalyptus
windbreaks run at right angles every quarter of mile on level ground. Near the
foothills, the spacing should be closer together however. To protect orchards,
the windbreak rows should have a space every 100 to 200 feet. Heavy winds will
sway the upper foliage of a windbreak tree, but the bottom foliage shelters the
crops. Windbreaks also help to protect against freezes by cutting back on
windchill.222
The best spacing for individual trees within a windbreak is four feet in double
rows. Double-row configuration is especially good where there are strong winds
because it prevents wind leakage. Trees are planted in double rows in an
alternating fashion sealing off the holes in the windbreak. It has been found
that windbreaks on the north or east sides of an orchard or field is less
affective. Usually the south side is left open for wind drainage. It is not
uncommon to find where there are strong ocean breezes multiple rows of windbreak
trees. Many windbreaks use a combination of Monterey pine and eucalyptus. One
has density while the other has height.223
Eucalyptus windbreaks should be properly managed. Older trees should be removed
because they lack lower foliage which will allow wind to get through. Litter
dropped by the windbreak trees should be picked up to protect against fires
which can destroy a windbreak.224 Irrigation or watering is needed for a healthy
windbreak. Because the eucalyptus needs large amounts of water for growth,
adequate watering is essential or the lateral roots from the windbreak trees
will rob and stunt the trees that it is protecting. Some growers have dug
trenches three to four feet deep between the windbreak trees and the orchard
trees to stop lateral root extension.225
AS TIMBER
Eucalyptus timber has been put to similar uses similar as other hardwood. It has
had some success, but it has failed as well. Its failure is really a
misconception in the minds of growers and investors. They were expecting too
much from the young eucalyptus trees. They were anticipating products like those
produced in Australia. The problem was those products came from eucalyptus trees
in virgin forests which were several hundred years of age. The quality of the
wood from these older trees differs greatly from the young eucalyptus trees
found in California. This misunderstanding meant economic ruin for some in
California. It also gave the eucalyptus a bad reputation which still exists
today.
Settlers in Australia used the eucalyptus trees just as pioneers in California
used the oak and redwoods. They needed shelter, vehicles for transportation,
household amenities, and fuel for survival. Eucalyptus timber was used in the
construction of ships, buildings, bridges, wharves, and railroad cars. It was
used in the manufacturing of barrels, paving blocks, agriculture implements, and
furniture. It was also cut for poles, posts, and pilings. The eucalyptus was
instrumental in the successful settlement of the vast Australian continent.226
Shipbuilding was an important industry in eastern Australia and in Tasmania. The
towering blue gum supplied timbers for the construction of a multitude of ships.
There was a certain pride in this effort as seen in this excerpt:
These early Tasmanians were unusual men, their achievements and
characters were amazing and the ships they built so sturdy that Time could not
destroy them. When they wanted ships they built them, not always in properly
appointed shipyards, but often in creeks or on beaches or river banks, wherever
suitable tall trees grew. These big- hearted men felled the trees, pit-sawed
them by hand power into planks, beams, keels, and frames, to shape their
vessels which were to brave the ocean storms and the dangers of uncharted
coasts. And they carried the name and fame of Tasmanian ships and seaman over
the seven seas.227
These blue gum ships sailed into San Francisco Bay loaded with men and supplies
for the California gold fields. These ships served as vivid examples of what the
eucalyptus could do. They showed the utility and toughness of the wood.
Australian eucalyptus timber was imported for a number of years until the
eucalyptus in California reached some maturity.228
AS POSTS, PILINGS, POLES, and RAILROAD TIES
One of the early uses of California eucalyptus was for fence posts. The blue gum
grows quickly, is straight in form, and was grown on ranches. Its wood is hard
and strong but less durable in the ground than other species, such as sugar and
red gums, but nonetheless it was a popular fence post tree.
Experiments were done early this century testing the durability of the various
eucalyptus species in soil. It was found that treatment with creosote extended
the groundlife of any post dramatically.229 When treated with creosote,
eucalyptus posts would last between eight to ten years. They still would split
and check though once dry. Also it was hard to drive a nail into the dried
wood.230 These problems stifled their usage.
Eucalyptus timber was used as pilings for wharves along the coast and also to
support roadways. Pine was the acceptable timber, but eucalyptus was used in a
number of wharves. The enemies of pilings along the Pacific Coast are the teredo
and limnoria worms. They can do immeasurable damage literally destroying wharves
within a short period of time. These worms are transported from wharf to wharf
by ships.231
The teredo lives under water while the limnoria lives at the waterline and does
the most damage.232 The teredo is about four inches in length and eats up and
down a piling. The limnoria on the other hand is the size of a pin and eats
across the grain sawing the piling in half. These worms can destroy a wharf in
seven years.233
Eucalyptus pilings proved to last longer in salt water than pine or even
redwood. Most eucalyptus wharves had a last eight to fourteen years depending
upon the species and the treatment of the wood.234 Wharves at Crescent City,
Oakland, Port Harford, Gaviota, Serena, Summerland, Avalon, and San Diego used
eucalyptus pilings.235 Oceanside and Santa Barbara piers used eucalyptus as well
as reported by A. J. McClatchie in 1902. He also wrote that Abbott Kinney of
Santa Barbara in a ten-year period had sold $10,000 worth of eucalyptus timber
for pilings.236
Eucalyptus pilings were usually 30 to 35 feet in length and had a diameter of 12
to 24 inches. In 1908 they brought $5 to $15 on the stump.237 It always has been
difficult for eucalyptus to be fully accepted as a piling wood. Some wharf
managers went so far as to hide the eucalyptus pilings from the public by
placing a pine piling in front of them. Once the eucalyptus piling outlasted the
pine one, the public was told of this.238
The eucalyptus species jarrah resists the worms the best. In 1894, it was said
that had jarrah been used in the San Francisco wharf that it would have saved
the city $25 million over a period of forty years!239
Manna and blue gum timber was used in construction along the Santa Ana River in
Orange County early this century. A causeway between Ventura and Santa Barbara
used blue gum pilings as well. Though sugar, gray, and red gums are more
resistant to decay, blue gum was the choice because of its availability to these
projects.240
Normally Oregon pine and cedar were used for telegraph and telephone poles.
Eucalyptus was tried as noted in this 1908 excerpt, "Eucalyptus poles have been
tried to a limited extent, and may be expected under treatment to outlast the
pole timbers in present use."241 In Tasmania, just prior to 1876, a construction
supervisor reported, "We used for poles young trees of the Blue Gum, White Gum,
Red Gum, and Stringy-bark, taking only the bark off. We charred the butts as far
as they went into the ground."242 Once again, the timber used in Tasmania was
from virgin forest prime for durability and strength. The younger and weaker
California eucalyptus never reached this grandeur and subsequent respect; and
consequently, it saw little use as telegraph and telephone poles.
In the late 19th century, Southern Pacific Railroad experimented with blue
gum railroad ties in Nevada. A few hundred green and untreated ties were laid in
sandy soil in central Nevada. Their strength and wear were within tolerance, but
because they didn't receive proper seasoning and treatment, they cracked or
checked badly so much so that the ties could not hold spikes. After four years,
some of the ties had deteriorated from decay, but others lasted for eleven
years. It was speculated that had these ties received the proper seasoning and
treatment, they could have lasted much longer. Also other species, such as
sugar, gray or red gums, would have lasted longer than blue gum. The blue gum
ties however were considered equal to ties from second grade southern pine.243
With the eucalyptus boom of the first decade of the 20th century, came a
resurgence of interest in using eucalyptus timber as railroad ties and in other
railroad related construction. The Santa Fe Railroad bought the 10,000 acre
Rancho San Dieguito in northern San Diego County which was about five miles from
the ocean. Company representatives chose to use eucalyptus timber in their
enterprise because of the tree's rapid growth, quality of wood, and its
adaptability to railroad purposes. The hills and hillsides were planted in trees
while the valleys were in planted with alfalfa and flowers. It was aesthetics
with economics.244
The railroad company planned to used the eucalyptus wood for ties, posts, and
finish work inside the railroad cars.245 It needed three million ties a year
which could be easily satisfied by a production prediction of seven million ties
a year once the eucalyptus forest had reached maturity of eighteen years. They
expected to cut alternate rows of timber for posts after five years. Proper
amounts of groundwater seemed to be available and rain would supply water too.
The trees were expected to do well in this environment.246 Three thousand
eucalyptus seedlings were shipped from Australia and planted at Rancho San
Dieguito.247
Shortly, Santa Fe Railroad had the same problems with the eucalyptus timber as
the Southern Pacific Railroad had decades earlier. It wouldn't hold spikes
because it split and checked. The eucalyptus ties simply didn't weather well.
Soon the project was dropped, and the railroad sought other types of wood.
Over the years the untouched eucalyptus forests at Rancho San Dieguito grew lush
and verdant. After World War II, Santa Fe Railroad turned the land into a
residential development giving it the name of Rancho Santa Fe. A Spanish theme
was applied to the development, and the land was bought up by celebrities, such
as Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Robert Young, Victor Mature, and Bing Crosby, who
built elegant homes on their properties. There is a local ordinance which reads,
"Removal of eucalyptus is prohibited."248
USES AS A HARDWOOD
Many species of eucalyptus produce hardwood of quality and beauty which is
comparable to most U.S. hardwood. In 1908 this was written: "The timber
eucalypts furnish hardwood possessing qualities similar to those of Eastern
hickory or ash. The wood differs in strength and durability, but in general the
timber is very strong, heavy and hard, with a close-grain and homogeneous
structure."249 At the time of this writing, the United States was in the midst
of a hardwood scare which provoked great interest in the fast-growing eucalyptus
as a solution to the deteriorating hardwood supply.
California has no natural hardwood; consequently, it had to be imported at
considerable cost. Planing mills in California, just before and after the turn
of the century, used both California and Australian eucalyptus in their wood
products. These mills and woodworking shops could be found in San Francisco, Los
Angeles, and San Jose. Because most considered eucalyptus to be just firewood,
there was a reluctance to use it for finished products. But the mills and shops
persevered with a certain craftiness as seen in this statement made by a planing
mill owner: "Seasoned blue gum timber has been substituted in San Francisco for
orders for maple, hickory, and 'ironwood' without the knowledge but to the
entire satisfaction of the purchaser."250
In 1910, T. J. Gillespie, manager of the Hardwood Planing Company of San Jose
commented that his shop was " . . . operating almost exclusively in eucalyptus
wood because it is the best hardwood in California today for high grade work.
This wood is used in lieu of a second hickory, ash and oak, and is considered
equal to any of them."251
In a letter from the Hughes Manufacturing & Lumber Company of Los Angeles, dated
December 20, 1909, the company proudly remarked that it had been using
eucalyptus wood for three years in interior finish work for cabinets and
paneling. It was responsible for the interior work in the Grosse building in
Los Angeles which received high acclaim for its beautiful mahogany-like panels.
The Hughes letter continued in its praise of eucalyptus wood:
The wood is fully as strong as oak or hickory. When properly cured, it
is as free from warping or checking as any hardwood we have. In fact, in view
of the scarcity of oak, the many uses to which eucalyptus is adaptable, it will
doubtless become the hardwood of the future.252
Hughes Manufacturing had a steady supply of orders and wished that there was
more eucalyptus wood available. Besides paneling, Hughes sold flooring board
which ran $65 to $75 a thousand feet for 3/8 inch cut and $110 for 7/8 inch.253
The species red gum and gray gum show a beautiful mahogany finish. The blue gum
was used in interior trim, furniture, and flooring and would take any color of
stain.254 Hughes Manufacturing was completely satisfied with the results
received from eucalyptus wood.
One veneering plant in California reported it used eucalyptus. Several shops
used eucalyptus in furniture but not in any sizeable production.255 One source
noted that John Breuner Furniture Company of Sacramento and San Francisco had
manufactured eucalyptus furniture. The company commented, "It (eucalyptus) works
up very nicely, does not check, is very close-grain and takes a very beautiful
finish, dainty, rich and attractive, equal to natural finished mahogany."256
Breuner's has no record of this activity per correspondence by this writer.
Also the libraries of the American Society of Furniture Designers and the
American Furniture Manufacturers Association have no information on furniture
made from eucalyptus. Yet the evidence points to the fact that some eucalyptus
furniture was made.
G.B. Lull, State Forester, wrote in 1908, "Seasoned blue and red gum wood has
been used to a limited extent for cabinet work and for the manufacture of
furniture. Handsome chairs and tables have been made, which are very strong and
do not warp, check or loosen at the joints. The wood takes a splendid finish and
has been stained to imitate mahogany very closely."257
In the 1920's eucalyptus was used in interior doors. The book entitled Homes &
Interiors of the 1920's contains pictures of doors made from eucalyptus. C.H.
Rogers of Watsonville grew eucalyptus and had it sawed at a local mill. He then
used it in the interior of his house. T.A. Rogers of Oxnard had eucalyptus
flooring put in his house which was to believed to be the first.258
Blue gum was used in the manufacture of insulator pins for power poles. The
power companies found the pins satisfactory for their purposes and the cost was
very reasonable. At one point a manufacturing company in Sonoma produced 125,000
pins a year using twenty-five year old trees. The cut eucalyptus timber was
seasoned for six weeks, and the pins didn't crack, warp or check. They proved to
be just as strong and durable as high grade black locust.259 Insulator pins were
sent to markets in Canada and the eastern United States.260
IT SHOULD BE WELL-SEASONED
Eucalyptus wood needs to be seasoned, and if properly seasoned, it contains
similar qualities of other hardwoods. If not seasoned it will crack, check, and
warp. Eucalyptus is a tree that absorbs tremendous amounts of water for growth;
consequently, its composition is dense and virtually grainless. When it dries it
shrivels because of the large water loss.
California eucalyptus trees were generally young sapwood having none of the
utilitarian characteristics of the mature trees found in the virgin forests of
Australia. To fully use the lumber from the young California trees seasoning was
needed. Tests and experiments were done to determine correct seasoning methods.
The public was made aware of these seasoning methods, but still there was
skepticism and criticism. Many thought this attitude was baseless. Eucalyptus
was stigmatized by its image of being a fast growing plant, much like a weed,
and was best used for firewood and not much else.
Eucalyptus proved to be more costly to cut and mill than the other available
hardwood. Eucalyptus timber would chip at the ends when being processed at a
mill causing the workers to allow a foot on each end. To alleviate this problem
and the many others, proper seasoning was desperately needed.261
The seasoning process begins first by cutting the eucalyptus during the winter
months, followed immediately by sawing the timber at the mill while it is still
green. The sawed lumber is then stacked high allowing the weight of the pile to
suppress the twisting and buckling tendency of the lumber. The lumber found
inside the stack would be sheltered from the elements allowing the ends to cure
gradually.262
"S" irons would be tacked into the ends holding the wood together. Also the ends
would be painted slowing the splitting process as well. Furthermore, weights
would be affixed on the ends to stop the lumber from warping. Air needs to
circulate freely through the lumber pile to expedite the curing process. This is
done by stacking the pile loosely. Air-seasoning is better than the quicker
kiln-seasoning process. Seasoned lumber would be used in a year's time, but two
year wait is better.263
A letter from Hughes Manufacturing, dated April 26, 1910, explained its
seasoning method used for eucalyptus lumber. The end-product would be finely
finished wooden cabinets. The process was the same for oak. Three to four-inch
thick planks where placed in gradually-heated water for four to five days, and
then slowly cooled and air-dried for several months.
The results must have been acceptable as seen in this excerpt from the Hughes
letter: "We have used this wood for the manufacture of bank and office fixtures,
furniture, interior home finishing, decoration work, flooring, and for various
other uses where a high polish is needed . . . " The letter continues by noting
that the wood when seasoned as described above does not crack or warp.264 It is
evident from the body of literature on eucalyptus lumber that some sort of
seasoning needed to take place before it would be suitable for working.
FOR PULP, PAPER, AND FIBERBOARD
Internationally, eucalyptus pulp has been used as a source for paper and
fibreboard for years. In Australia, the first eucalyptus paper was made in
1914.265 Today, 85% of eucalyptus wood is used either for pulp or fuel. When the
paper industry switched from long to short fibre, eucalyptus pulp became very
popular.266 Usually eucalyptus trees that are from five to seven years old are
best for pulp which is a shorter growth period than for many other trees.267
The most popular eucalyptus species used for papermaking are globulus, grandis,
and camaldulensis. These species have mid to low fibre density which is best for
pulp production. There is a constant effort though to create new and better
species for the paper industry.268 Nitens and dalrympleana species are proving
to be important sources for pulp because they have little bark and are dense.269
Recently, several companies in California have indicated an interest in using
eucalyptus pulp for paper and wafer board.270 Worldwide, Brazil and Chile are
major producers of eucalyptus pulp. Brazilian plantations can be found in the
interior rain forests with acreage expanding daily.271 Chile has been involved
in the eucalyptus industry for decades as well as China and Japan.272
AS A BOILER CLEANER
Boiler explosions were common on steamboats plying the Sacramento and San
Joaquin Rivers. Scale produced from the muddy water used in boilers would
collect on the inside separating the iron of the boiler from the water. When
heating took place, the iron would be heated separately from the water. This
would generally overheat the iron, weakening it, and hence an explosion.273
A boiler cleaning agent was developed by George Downie of San Lorenzo about
1888. He bought eucalyptus leaves from General Stratton and boiled them in water
producing a dark brown liquid. This liquid was the cleaning agent which was
poured into boilers eliminating the scale.274 This was done once a month.275 Not
only was the boiler cleaner used in ship boilers, it was also used in boilers
found in factories in the Bay Area and in the eastern United States.276
A SOURCE OF HONEY
The eucalyptus flowers provide nectar for bees especially when other flowers
aren't available. Some species bloom continuously and hence a constant supply of
nectar is available. Besides being a food, some claimed that eucalyptus honey
could settle nerves and relieve irritation in the mucous membranes.277
Eucalyptus honey has a strong pepperminty taste and odor which makes it less
desirable than other honeys.278
Honey provides a farmer with additional income. The best species as recommended
by the Santa Monica Forestry Station were sugar gum, red gum, and red iron
bark.279 Types of soil and climatic changes varies the availability of the
nectar.280
A SOURCE OF FOOD
Outside of honey, Californians have never used eucalyptus for food, but the
Australians have. The Aborigines use eucalyptus roots as a source of water. They
also cook and eat the roots. The flakes from manna gum are eaten as dessert by
children. Dried eucalyptus leaves are fed to horses, cattle, and sheep.281
Koalas get moisture and food from eucalyptus leaves. It knows which species it
likes, and by smelling, it can tell which ones might be harmful. Contrary to
myth, koalas aren't drugged by eucalyptus leaves, but rather they have a very
slow metabolism which keeps them relaxed. Koalas have a pleasant odor which
comes from the eucalyptus food it eats.282
American zoos have fresh eucalyptus leaves flown in to feed their koalas. The
Philadelphia Zoo has 40 lbs. shipped from California three or four times a week.
The Milwaukee Zoo spends $12,000 yearly on eucalyptus leaves.283 The Los Angeles
Zoo found that Koalas eat leaves from seventeen different eucalyptus species but
will prefer some over the others.284
AS MEDICINE
By its very essence, eucalyptus has the scent of freshness and purification. It
smells healthy, and consequently, its oils have been used in both folk and
modern medicine. This writer's own father told of the practice of putting a
eucalyptus leaf between the lips of sick people having respiratory problems. The
hanging of eucalyptus leaves in houses was common as well as boiling eucalyptus
leaves on stoves allowing the pepperminty odor to permeate the air.
The essential oil used for medicinal purposes is produced by boiling eucalyptus
leaves in water, condensing the vapor, and collecting it.285 The species
amygdalina produces 265.5 ounces of oil from 1,000 lbs. of leaves while globulus
produces 134.8 ounces from the same amount of leaves.286 Globulus oil contains
about 60% eucalyptol (cineol); whereas, amygdalina oil contains no eucalyptol
but produces phellandrene. Both eucalyptol and phellandrene are used in
medicines.287
Pharmacopoeias of Britain and United States require 70% cineol in eucalyptus
oil. Some species do have that consistency and more.288 But the 70% requirement
has been difficult to acquire in California because of the cost of production;
consequently, eucalyptus oil is imported from Australia where species can
produce the proper amount of cineol more cheaply.289
The Pharmacology of Materia Medica lists the medical uses of eucalyptus
extractions. It can be used as a stimulant, aphrodisiac, antispasmodic, and
antiseptic. It is used in the treatment of septic fevers, diphtheria, asthma,
foetid breath, ulcers (syphilitic and otherwise), infections of the bladder,
urethra, vagina, and spongy and bleeding gums. It is used as a disinfectant in
gangrenous or foetid suppuration, foul ulcers, and offensive skin discharges.290
It is used too for coughs, lung diseases, and sorethroats. Eucalyptus tea is
good for digestion.291 Eucalyptus oil in hot baths serves as a nerve sedative. A
popular cure for singers and speakers with sore throats has been "Mission
Eucalyptus" used along with Listerine which too contains eucalyptus oil.292
Eucalyptus oil manufactured for medical purposes can be found in several
different forms. It comes as a capsule, fluid extract, powered extract, solid
extract, elixir compound, inhalant, lozenges, tinctures, and pills.293 All of
these preparations have a strong pepperminty odor. On the tongue and in the
stomach, eucalyptus oil produces warmth. If taken internally, large doses can
produce headaches, and fatigue. It can cause death in animals from paralysis.294
In 1895, Abbott Kinney reported examples of medical success. A doctor in Kansas
used eucalyptus extract to heal an amputation which healed well with little
pain.295 A Dr. Wooster of San Francisco used eucalyptus medicine in 136 cases of
various infirmities in which 106 were cured. A Dr. Keeler in Australia treated
432 cases with eucalyptus extract, and 310 were cured. These are just two of the
many examples found in Kinney's report.296
Eucalyptus tincture has been used in the treatment of wounds and sores. Tincture
is produced by putting macerated leaves in alcohol for three months. Ten lbs. of
leaves gives 25 quarts of tincture.297 Aborigines of Australia used eucalyptus
leaves as poultices on wounds. There was one case where an Aborigine had a wound
where there was a protrusion of his intestines. They were pushed back into place
and dressed in a poultice of eucalyptus leaves. He healed.298 It was reported in
1871, that hospitals were using eucalyptus as bandages.299 It was becoming more
evident that the eucalyptus had healing powers and should be used medicinally.
At the 1888 World's Fair in Melbourne, Australia, there were 26 cases of
diphtheria. Patients breathed steam produced by boiled eucalyptus oil in water.
They were able to cough up the balls of tough white mucus. All but two patients
fully recovered.300 It was used too to cure dysentery which settlers and miners
contracted.
Eucalyptus was sprayed once or twice a day in sick rooms to disinfect unhealthy
air.301 Eucalyptus seedpods, called portieres, were draped inside houses to emit
a healthy scent. It was felt asthmatic patients found relief breathing the
eucalyptus-treated air. Eucalyptus oil was used by the rich and poor alike. The
Stanford family of Palo Alto used eucalyptus oil as medicine as reported by
Leland G. Stanford in a 1970 article.302
The English settling in Australia used eucalyptus as a medicine. Its smell
reminded them of their English peppermint. It was used for colic, dysentery, and
diarrhoea. In the gum secreted by the eucalyptus is found the ingredient kino.
Taken internally kino is good for intestinal disorders. A factory was
established in Australia to produce peppermint gum oil a cure for many
ailments.303
Eucalyptus species that have a small amount of foliage will have a high level of
kino. Rostrata, resinifera, marginata, diversicolor, and siderphloia are of this
type. Rostrata posts and poles lasts the longest in the ground because of its
kino content.304 Kino is similar to the resin found in pine trees.305
At the turn of the century, a Los Angeles physician was able to produce and sell
nine tons of oil which was used in a salve, soap, and cough drops.306 H.B.
Silkwood of Garden Grove produced one ton of oil from one hundred tons of
material to use in medical products.307 Eucalyptus oil came primarily from blue
gum in California because it could be manufactured and sold profitably. J.C.
Mitchell of Garden Grove could extract three to four gallons of oil from two
tons of leaves and twigs. The cost of processing was $3 a gallon. In 1908, it
was reported that California distilleries were having trouble finding a market
for eucalyptus oil308 because eucalyptus oil from Australia was sold for a
cheaper price.
Today, the world market uses 2,000 to 3,000 tons of eucalyptus oil a year. It is
mostly a disinfectant,309 but it is also used in perfumes and flavoring. The
major producers of this oil are China, Portugal, Spain, Chile, South Africa, and
Swaziland.310 The oil's odor is very noticeable but non-toxic. A bottle of
eucalyptus oil was accidentally broken at Dulles International Airport in 1992.
Twenty people were hospitalized, a terminal was closed, and thirteen flights
cancelled. This was resultant of its pungent smell not because it hurt
people.311
Recently in California, because of the malathion spraying to eradicate the med
fly, eucalyptus leaves have been boiled and inhaled to clear one's respiratory
system affected by the spray.312 Products being manufactured today using
eucalyptus oils are ointments, such as, Vaporub. Health stores sell rubbing
agents containing eucalyptus which are used for sore muscles and joints.
Eucalyptus oil is used in saunas and spas for its healing vapors and sedative
powers as a muscle relaxant.313
FIGHTING MALARIA
One of the most enthralling chapters in the history of eucalyptus is its
relationship to the eradication of malaria. Throughout the nineteenth century,
it was believed that the eucalyptus fought malaria simply by disinfecting the
ground and air. By the end of the century, the cause of malaria was found, and
the eucalyptus' true relationship to the disease became known.
The female anopheles mosquito carries the malaria parasite and implants it in a
human's blood system. The mosquito's home and breeding ground is generally in a
area of standing water such as swampland. Because the eucalyptus absorbs large
amounts of water, it can drain swampland thereby destroying the habitat of the
mosquito, and consequently stopping the spread of malaria. But the story of
malaria and the eucalyptus before this was known is fascinating.
As in any mystery there are theories. Early on there were many theories of how
the eucalyptus miraculously stopped malaria. Also there were glowing accounts of
real life experiences of the successes made in the fight against malaria by the
eucalyptus.
Very few people know that California had malarial problems. Malaria could be
found in the Sacramento Valley and Kern County last century. In the Third
Biennial Report (1874-75) of the California State Board of Health, the secretary
of the board, Dr. Thomas M. Logan, was the author of a section entitled
"Malarial Fevers and Consumption in California." Much of the report was about
the eucalyptus and its ability to suppress the spread of malaria. He reprinted a
contemporary article taken from the Kern County Courier reporting on one
farmer's experience with malaria and eucalyptus:
In regard to the anti-malaria influence of the eucalyptus, we have this
conclusive evidence. We have given it what we regard as a reasonably fair test
on our own farm. This is cultivated by two families, or companies, of Chinese.
One company lives near the north and the other the south end of the premises,
about three-fourths of a mile apart.
The localities both parties inhabit are favorable to the development of
malaria. The soil is rich, moist, and teeming with vegetable life, and the free
sweep of the prevailing wind is obstructed by the intervention of dense
thickets. As might be expected, they
have, every year, during the heated term, suffered with malarial fever. Last
winter we determined to test the much vaunted virtues of the eucalyptus.
In February we gave to the party at the north end two ounces of the seed
with the directions that it should be planted near the house. It germinated
finely, and produced several thousands of young plants, but the frost killed
most of them. About twelve
hundred, however, survived. These, when the heated term commenced, had
attained an average height of two feet, and emitted a strong aromatic or
camphorous odor, perceptible at a distance of a hundred yards.
In due time the party at the south end were visited by their usual mildly
distressing fever, but up to the present time we have looked in vain for the
first symptoms to develop in the other. They are all, to their own
astonishment, in the most robust health. These trees now average more than
three feet in height, and the atmosphere of the house is strongly impregnated
with their odor . . . and propose, the coming season, to plant it on all the
waste places and corners on our farm we can spare from the other purposes. If
everybody would do likewise, the great valley of Kern County
might soon take rank among the sanitariums of the State . . . " 314
Concluding, Dr. Logan wrote, "These evidences go far to establish the fact
that the eucalyptus globulus has a good effect in preventing the spread of
malarial diseases . . . "315
In the California State Board Health's Tenth Biennial Report (1886-88) appeared
an article with the title "Irrigation and Forestry Considered in Connection with
Malarial Diseases." Use of eucalyptus and other plants were being used to stem
the spread of malaria as seen in this excerpt:
It is a well established fact that in malarial districts the planting of
shrubs and trees has had the effect to greatly modify, if not entirely remove,
the malarious influence . . . But wonderful far efficacious than all, owing to
the rapidity of its growth, its wonderful powers as an absorbent, and the
balsamic exhalation of its essential oil, it is Australian blue gum tree
(Eucalyptus globulus).316
Dr. W.P. Gibbons of the Medical Society of the State of California wrote, "It
has not been proved, though asserted until belief is established, that the
aroma of the eucalyptus is effective in preventing the incubation of
intermittents."317 The scientific and medical fields knew that the eucalyptus
arrested malaria but didn't really know why. The assumption by some was it was
disinfected the air.
There were numerous reports worldwide of the success the eucalyptus was having
in treating malaria. In 1874, the periodical California Horticulturalist
contained such reports. For example in Cape Colony in southern Africa came this
testimony: "In the spring of 1867, I planted upon this farm 13,000 plants of the
Eucalyptus globulus. In July of that year, the season in which the fevers
appear, the farmers were completely free from them . . . "318
Another example is this report from Constantine (Turkey) where eucalyptus had
been planted: "The atmosphere is constantly charged with aromatic vapors, the
farmers are no longer troubled with disease, and their children are bright with
health and vigor."319
M. Gimbert in 1874 made these comments before the French Academy of Sciences
concerning the eucalyptus:
A tree springing up with incredible rapidity, capable of absorbing from
the soil ten times its weight of water in twenty-four hours, and giving to the
atmosphere antiseptic camphorated emanations, should play a very important part
in improving the health of the malarious districts . . . it has the property of
absorbing directly from marshes, thus preventing fermentations which are
produced, and paralyzing the animal miasma proceeding from them which might
arise from them."320
During this period of time, throughout the world, the eucalyptus was labeled
"fever tree" because it generally stopped the spread of deadly fevers. In
Valencia, Spain, eucalyptus trees had to be protected by guards to prevent
leaves from being stripped off by its citizens.321 And what did the Australians
think about their treasured native tree and malaria?
In 1876, J. Bosisto read a paper before the Royal Society of Victoria
(Australia) entitled, "Is the Eucalyptus a Fever-Destroying Tree?" He opened
with this statement:
Its (eucalyptus) power to absorb considerable moisture, and to permeate
the air with its peculiar odour, led to the belief that this tree . . . exerts
a beneficial influence upon malarious districts . . . is the eucalyptus a
fever-destroying tree? Or, in other words does it tend to lessen malaria or to
destroy miasmatic poison?322
Bosisto then tells of his investigations in Australia, commenting: "Australia on
the whole may be said to be pretty free from virulent endemic or miasmatic
fevers, and the latter may be said to exist only as the eucalyptus recedes."323
After analyzing eucalyptus oils and resins, Bosisto was not able to find
anything in them that had the power to oxygenate and purify the air more so than
other plants.324 He noted that eucalyptus oils permeating the air, did refresh
one's breathing.325 Bosisto concludes his paper with some support of the
eucalyptus' value in fighting malaria, but the question is still virtually
unanswered. He wrote, "In conclusion, may we not say with some authority that
the evidence set forth in this paper on our own vegetation is in favour of the
eucalyptus being a fever-destroying tree?"326
The most famous case concerning eucalyptus treatment of malaria comes from the
Tre Fontaine Monastery near Rome, Italy. Each year during the "fever season,"
the monks would come down with malaria. Swamps were near, and the monks worked
the fields returning to the monastery at night. It was thought that the night
air carried malaria. Eucalyptus trees were planted in the swamps reclaiming the
land with their ability to drain the water through their root systems. With the
water gone the mosquitoes had no habitat in which to breed and carry on
activity. Malaria fever greatly lessened, but a Dr. Montechiare, who was a
physician for years in that area, was not convinced that eucalyptus affected the
disposition of malaria.327
Scientists and physicians knew that the eucalyptus did something to interfere
with the process of malaria, but what it did and how it did it wasn't clear.
Many simply disclaimed it until the cause of malaria was found.
In California, malaria reached its peak in the 1880's. Blue gums were planted
with fervor because it was generally felt they purified the air and had some
effect on malaria. This comes from the Pacific Rural Press:
A paper read before the California Academy of Natural Sciences in 1879
reported that the Southern Pacific Railroad had planted 1,000 eucalyptus trees
between the train stations and the marshes to ward off malaria in the interior
valley. The number of malaria cases had dropped from twenty-five to eight.329
It was thought that malaria came from moist, rich soil escaping into the night
air during the summer months. Night air is usually damp and chilly, and thought
to carry a multitude of maladies of which one was malaria. The word "malaria" in
Latin means "bad air." By virtue of its aroma, it would be only natural to
suppose that the eucalyptus somehow purified the "mal aria" or bad air.
It was also thought that the oils dropping from the eucalyptus leaves and the
gums secreted from the bark, disinfected the ground around the tree. These
secretions had a purifying effect just like its aroma did to the surrounding
air.
In his 1895 work, Eucalyptus, Abbott Kinney gave many examples of the success
eucalyptus was having in arresting malarial fever. Some of have been noted
above. Kinney thought that malaria entered the body through the ingestion of
water, milk, or food. The malarial germ, he felt, was released into the air by
turning over soil in warm, marshy land, and some way it got into what humans ate
or drank. He cited Bakersfield cases where unboiled water from shallow wells (he
felt) caused malaria. He called it the "Bakersfield Fever." After the water was
boiled from these wells the malaria disappeared he reported.330 Kinney did
experiments with meat, water, and eucalyptus leaves. He wanted to see if
eucalyptus stopped the growth of bacteria. In results were inconclusive.331
The connection was beginning to be seen between disease and insects especially
mosquitoes. Kinney used an eucalyptus smudge to kill mosquitoes, but it didn't
work.332 The Pacific Rural Press reported in 1876, " . . . being very much in
his sleep by mosquitoes, took it into his head to place a young plant of
eucalyptus in his bedroom over night. From that moment the insects disappeared
and he slept in comfort."333 There was a doctor who rubbed eucalyptus leaves on
his horse to drive the insects away. Pillows were sprinkled with an eucalyptus
powder to keep insects off them.334
The Tulare Register ran this testimony: "Our house was surrounded with blue gum
trees. We always slept with our doors and windows open and were never seriously
bothered while just a few rods away the stock would be covered and almost perish
with the great numbers (mosquitoes) tormenting them."335
Finally the cause of malaria was known. In a 1900 issue of The Forester,
published by the American Forestry Association, there was an article entitled,
"The Eucalyptus in the Tropics: Its Rapid Growth and Value as a Sanitary Agent,
Acting as a Preventative of Malaria." It told of the cause of malaria, and urged
the planting of eucalyptus to dry up swampland thereby removing the mosquito's
breeding habitat. The article went on to discuss the positive effect eucalyptus
had on the air.336 This theme could be seen too in the 1897 yearbook of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture:
With regard to the sanitary value of the tree, it has been strongly stated that
its value was owing to its rapid growth and the great absorbent power of its
roots in drying up wet and marsh lands, but it is no longer doubted that
Eucalyptus globulus, along with other species of Eucalyptus, evaporate with
water a volatile oil and a volatile acid, which permeate the atmosphere and
contribute to its invigorating and healthy nature and character.337
The eucalyptus had found its place as a partner in the prevention of malaria,
and it still held its usual stature as an agent in cleansing the air. The latter
would last until
modern medicine got more sophisticated and became disinterested in old-fashion
ideas of treatment or "sanitation."
FOR LANDSCAPING AND ROADWAYS
One area in California where the eucalyptus has had a high profile certainly is
in its presence along the roads and highways of the state. With its willowy
silhouette cast against the hills and flatlands, it pleases the mind with its
picturesque form. It is a reminder that there is something more to our world
than asphalt, steel guardrails, and automobiles. It gives us a glimmer of a
peaceful past when humankind turned to the natural world for answers instead of
to science and its automaton creations.
One has only to drive along the coastal foothills of this state to became
immediately aware of the dark forests of eucalyptus hugging the hills and
gullies. As the eye sweeps across those images, there is a stirring inside
finding expression in aesthetic pleasure and a recognition that those forests
belong there. The eucalyptus did indeed change California horizons as expressed
by Kinney in 1895:
The introduction of this tree has done more to change radically the appearance
of wide ranges of country in California than any other one thing. In the
reclamation of many arid plains of the central and southern parts of California
the blue gum has worked almost like magic. It modifies the winds, breaks the
lines of view all so quickly that one can scarcely realize that a valley of
clustered woods and lines of trees was but a year
or two before a brown parched expanse of shadeless summer dust. I do not think
that the power of the blue gum in modifying the appearance of a country can be
appreciated by any one who has not seen some stretch of country before and
after its introduction.338
Tree shade is something that humankind has always appreciated. On hot summer
days, tree shade is not only refreshing, but it is part of survival. One of the
earliest
uses of the eucalyptus was for ornamentation and shade. Eucalyptus were planted
along country and some city roads for beauty and for the practicality of shade.
Of the eucalyptus species blue gums were first used, but their size and
aggressive root system made them more of a liability than an asset. Their roots
tore up sidewalks and streets. They were too big to prune, and dripping water
from them made the graveled roads muddy. Many were removed. It was simply a
problem of finding the proper species.339 Today smaller and less aggressive
eucalyptus are used.
Route 160 near Rio Vista has the oldest remaining roadside eucalyptus. They were
planted over one hundred years ago along the levee road. In the 1890's in
southern California, eucalyptus were planted along roadways to halt gusting
winds.340 This was done too in the 1930's on the highway west of San
Bernardino.341 In 1913 a law was passed to give power to the county boards to
oversee the planting of trees along the roadside. The purpose of the legislation
was to encourage communities to plant trees for beauty, shade, and
windbreaks.342
In the 1930's more legislation was passed. Route 91, from Fresno to Bakersfield,
has eucalyptus along it primarily because of that legislation. In the 1950's,
along Highway 99, from Marysville to Modesto, the species sideroxylon was
planted.343 These are just a few examples of highway planting. If one gets off
the beaten path and travels on an old highway, there will be evidence of early
eucalyptus roadside planting.
The use of eucalyptus along roadways continues today. The species have changed.
In 1961, CalTrans planted camal- densis, citriodora, caldocalyx, polyanthemos,
rudis, and sideroxylon. In the 1980's, 11,000 caldocalyx, 10,000 camaldensis,
6,000 sideroxylon, and 3,000 rudis were planted along highways.344
CalTrans' present plan is to plant eucalyptus as (1) part of the urban landscape
(2) part of the rural aesthetic especially in the dry areas of the Central
Valley and southern California (3) to define the highway's borders (4)
windbreaks for safety and to prevent soil erosion (5) sources of chips for
mulching to be used planted areas.345
CalTrans did a study in Sacramento recently on drought and the eucalyptus. It
found that these three species are drought tolerant: dalrympleana, parvifolia,
and annulata. However, for most eucalyptus species there was modest survival
rate.346 Trees that are used in roadside landscaping are selected for their
adaptation to the local climate and for their overall usefulness to the roadway.
A Fire Hazard?
Who can forget the recent October 1991 fire in the Berkeley-Oakland hills where
3,000 homes were lost and 24 people died. Temperatures got up to 2,000 degrees
F. as the firestorm swept the hills. There are those who blame the eucalyptus
for the fire. There are others who disagree saying that eucalyptus was at fault
just as much as any other tree. Who is right? To answer this question, one must
look first at the historical facts in regard to eucalyptus and fires.
The eucalyptus is regarded generally as a "dirty tree" because if its litter is
left untouched it can pile up to several feet on a grove's floor. This litter
consists of falling bark, leaves, branches, and seed pods. They all contain oil
which increases the litter's flammability.347 The oil also slows the
decomposition process so the litter remains nearly whole and a fire hazard
longer.348
When trees grow closely together, they form a canopy which doesn't allow light
to penetrate; consequently, ground vegetation doesn't grow. This is the case in
eucalyptus groves. No vegetation means no dry grass, and hence, not a source of
fire.349 Therefore, one can rule out dry grass as a facilitator in the 1991
fire.
No question eucalyptus litter is a fire hazard. In 1907, the U.S. Forest Service
warned about eucalyptus litter: "The large quantity of litter -- which
accumulates beneath a stand is extremely inflammable . . .350 When fire gains
access to a plantation the oily litter burns so fiercely that it can scarcely be
extinguished before the whole grove is burned."351
Historically, the East Bay has had numerous grass and forest fires. In October
1887, before large groves of eucalyptus were planted 8,300 acres of primarily
grass were burned in the Chabot area. In 1897, near Berkeley, 7,000 acres
burned. Eucalyptus groves were planted in the first decade of the twentieth
century. In September 1923 a fire destroyed 640 homes in Berkeley. Thirty-six
homes and 250 acres were burned in September1973. One would have to conclude
that there seems to be a natural tendency for this area to generate fire from
some sort of dried vegetation.352
Eucalyptus planting in the East Bay hills began in the 1880's when the Judson
Dynamite and Powder Company planted trees to muffle the sound of dynamite and to
hide an ugly landscape created by the blasts. Large scale planting of eucalyptus
occurred during the first decade this century. It was for timber and real estate
investment, and to control fires that hampered the area.
The Oakland Tribune writing at that time noted the problem of fires and the
value of the new eucalyptus: " . . . (eucalyptus is) primarily a measure against
recurring fires that almost every year swept over the hills . . . "353
The State Board of Forestry in its Ninth Biennial Report (1923) commented: " Not
more than fifteen years ago the hills lying along the easterly portions of the
cities of Oakland and Berkeley were not as now covered with groves of forest
trees, but were practically bare on the western slope . . . During that time to
planting of trees, grass fires were of common occurrence during the summer
months . . . "354
Winter freezes compound the fire problem by killing back trees that then drop
the dead wood and foliage to the grove floor. Blue gum is by far the most common
California eucalyptus and is intolerant of below freezing weather. The fires in
the East Bay hills of 1923, 1973, and 1991 were preceded by a freeze. Very few
eucalyptus actually die from frost because their root systems are unaffected.
They merely shed the frost-burned foliage and wood, and resprout. But the amount
of litter dropped to the ground is enormous.355
Just after the 1972 freeze, the people of the area were frantic, fearing the
possibility of a fire if the litter from the freeze was not removed. Legislation
for relief refunds was introduced in Congress and hearings were held. At the
hearing before the Subcommittee on Forests of the Committee of Agriculture this
was said: "Forest Service's leading expert on this eucalyptus disaster (the
freeze) has stated that the fire threat posed by these dead trees 'is unique in
that a sudden and widespread kill of such highly flammable species in a urban
area of normally severe fire hazard has never been experienced before in the
United States.'"356
It was estimated that two million trees had been killed in the 1972 freeze which
amounted to about 50 tons of debris per acre and covered 3,000 acres. The debris
lying on the ground was one to two feet deep. Again the prophetic voice of the
Subcommittee on Forests: "A small fire could easily become a major holocaust
before the necessary equipment could get into the area, as there is no real
access road into the Berkeley-Oakland Hills."357
H.H. Biswell, Professor of Forestry and Conservation at the University of
California, Berkeley made a prophetic statement too on March 1973:
When eucalyptus waste catches fire, an updraft is created and strong
winds may blow flaming bark for a great distance. I think the eucalyptus is the
worst tree anywhere as far as fire hazard is concerned. If some of that flaming
bark should be flown on to shake roofs in the hills we might have a fire storm
that would literally suck the roofs off the houses. People might be trapped.358
Federal disaster funding for the removal of the litter from the 1972 freeze was
only $1 million instead of the $11 million requested. Without federal support,
property owners had to pay for litter and tree removal themselves costing $100
or more a tree.359 Only part of the damaged trees were removed, and a 12 mile,
200 foot firebreak was carved in the hills.360 This was inadequate as seen by
the quick-moving 1991 firestorm.
Conclusively the 1990 freeze led to the 1991 firestorm. The eucalyptus got the
blame for spreading the fire as seen in this San Francisco Chronicle article
with the headline "Eucalyptus trees getting blamed for East Bay fire."
Eucalyptus globulus, the tall, aromatic trees dropped yet another notch in
public esteem in the great East Bay hills fire of 1991. Like giant matchsticks
and loaded with freeze-dried fuel, the East Bay's eucalyptus trees acted like a
torch that spread the conflagration by exploding into flames almost instantly
-- Experts who otherwise couldn't agree on whether the fire began by arson,
official foul-up or act of God declared that the Australian imports bore heavy
blame. And while her press aide derided the trees as "weeds," Berkeley Mayor
Lori Hancock proposed chain-sawing thousands of them in hopes of forever
preventing a repeat of the deadly events of Oct. 20, 1991.361
Blaming the eucalyptus was labeled by some as "hysterical." Alexander Kerr, a El
Centro writer who spent seven years in Australia in wildfire control, called the
assertions exaggerations. He and others passionately explained that the spread
of the fire was not caused by trees but by dry grass, unkempt lots, and
exploding wooden houses. He explained that litter and dead grass must be removed
continuously to avoid such a thing from happening again. To logoff all of the
trees, as has been suggested, would invite terrible soil erosion and the
destruction of wildlife.362
Blaming the eucalyptus continued though. The eucalyptus trees were called
"weeds" and "trash trees," "immigrants," and "mongrelizations of the
species."363 One year after the fire, the garden editor of Sunset Magazine and
an eucalyptus supporter, wrote: "With this tree, it seems you either love it or
fear and hate it. And I've noticed that those who fear the tree seem almost
irrational about it . . . A few messy types of eucalyptus need to have their
debris cleaned every year or two, but scores of other kinds are as orderly and
as safe as any other broadleafed evergreen."364
The native home of the eucalyptus, Australia, has eucalyptus forest fires
generally every year. In January 1994 a large fire broke out near Sydney and was
in the international news. This was said about the eucalyptus:
The explosive nature of the eucalyptus and the abundance of fuel produces a
very intense fire that 'crowns' -- leaps from tree top to tree top . . . The
fierce blazes have been stoked by the highly volatile oils of the eucalyptus
tree, which vaporize under intense radiative heat as the fire approaches and
explode, with flames sometimes towering as high as 230 feet.365
Another report:
One reason Australia is so fire prone is the eucalyptus have aromatic
oils in their leaves that adds to flammability . . . Eucalyptus trees are one
of the world's most inflammable trees. It bursts into flames when fire reaches a
certain temperature because there is rapid vaporization of the oils and that
causes rapid ignition.366
In 1962, the Australian Forestry and Timber Bureau published "Control Burning in
Eucalyptus Forests." It said that controlled burning does not kill eucalyptus
trees, but it burns off the litter that collects on the forest floor which is 10
tons per acre. It recommends controlled burning every five years.367
In his book, Burning Bush: A Fire History of Australia, published in 1991,
Stephen Pyne told the story of an Australian firefighting expert who attended a
conference in Berkeley. The expert visited the hills in and around Berkeley and
saw how the eucalyptus forests in the area were allowed to grow. He was struck
with terror by their volatile nature and fled back to Australia.368 This
occurred just prior to the 1991 firestorm.
Kevin Starr, USC historian and current California State Librarian, said it best
about our artificial and fragile environment:
Newcomers built their California dream, landscaping barren neighborhoods
with eucalyptus and Monterey pines, trees never intended to grow in such an
arid place, and planted shrubs near their homes -- all fine fuel for fires.
They built a natural environment that was not all natural. It was as beautiful
as it was artificial, fragile and dangerous. We Are constantly reminded what an
artificially engineered construct . . . and consequently how fragile.369
BEETLE PROBLEM
Eucalyptus trees grown in California had no natural enemy as is found in
Australia. This was because the genus was transplanted by seed and not by
seedling. Seedlings carry parasites while the seeds do not.
In 1984, the introduction of a natural enemy occurred. Phoracanta semipunctata,
or longhorned beetle, either came from Chile buried in an eucalyptus pallet, or
was transported to the Lake Forest lumberyard in timbers from Australia.370
Regardless of how or where the beetle was introduced, the first infestation was
discovered near El Toro, California in October 1984 much to the consternation of
eucalyptus growers and lovers of the tree.371
Upon discovery, a representative of the California Department of Forestry sadly
announced, "The insect is loose and it's just a matter of time before it infests
every eucalyptus stand we have in California . . . the bug may be deliberately
spread by ecological zealots who would like to rid the California landscape of
the ubiquitous eucalyptus."372 By 1986, the beetle could be found in southern
California from Long Beach to San Diego, and from Van Nuys to Hemet.373 In 1987,
it was destroying eucalyptus trees at the Scripps Ranch,374 and later in 1989 at
Rancho Santa Fe.375
The longhorned beetle is one inch in length and is black in color with a small
yellow around its body. It is a strong flier covering several miles in one
flight. It lays its eggs deep into the eucalyptus bark.376 When it bores into
the inner bark, it cuts off the supply of nutrients the tree needs and thereby
killing it.377
The beetle makes an immense amount of noise as it eats its way through the bark
as testified in this account: "All over Rancho Santa Fe you can hear the sound
-- the clatter of insatiable little insect mandibles devouring another tasty
meal of bark and wood. Some say the racket resembles falling rain. Or the
crackle of Rice Krispies once the milk's been poured on." In 1991, it was
estimated that 20,000 of the 100,000 trees at Rancho Santa Fe had been destroyed
by the crunching beetle.378
The longhorned beetle quickly kills blue and manna gums and the other gums less
quickly.379 It attacks old and weak trees especially those weakened by the
recent droughts.380 The beetle is attracted to trees that suffer from lack of
water. Pesticides don't kill it because its eggs are laid under layers of bark.
Secreting gum is the eucalyptus' natural protection against the beetle. The gum
engulfs the beetle smothering it, but because of the droughts, there has not
been enough moisture within the trees to manufacture sufficient gum to stop the
beetle.381
The beetle problem is an expensive one. It has cost some homeowners as much as
$10,000 to have their beetle-infested trees removed.382 The California
Department of Forestry doesn't have the authority to help beleaguered homeowners
because the eucalyptus trees are outside state forests, nor are they grown that
much commercially.383
To some the eucalyptus is part of the family as one Scripps Ranch resident
lamented: "People here are proud of their community and proud of our trees.
That's how they think of the eucalyptus . . . It's like cutting off your arm to
cut down one of our trees.384 But to protect surrounding trees the infested ones
had to be removed.
Northern California awaited the beetle invasion. In 1989, it was estimated that
one-third of the eucalyptus trees in the Bay Area would succumb to the
beetle.385 The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department felt that 100,000
eucalyptus trees would be killed, but it depended upon how the beetle did in the
colder weather of northern California.386 In 1991, the beetle had reached the
Bay Area. Four hundred trees had been infested on the Stanford University
campus.387
Methods to stop the beetle were tried. Infested trees were cut to the ground,
and its wood buried or covered with a tarp. Some made chips from the wood
thereby grinding up the larvae. The transportation of firewood from infested
trees was stopped.388
It was noticed that well-watered trees weren't attack by the beetle. The bark
became a sponge of water which drowned the larvae.389 The Orange County
Agricultural Commission gave this advice: "To prevent beetle infestation,
irrigate eucalyptus trees with a trickling hose over a 24-hour period every few
weeks during the summer."390
California scientists looked to Australia for answers to the beetle problem. In
Australia the beetle's natural enemy is the Syngaster lepidue wasp which locates
the boring beetle by sound and stings it. University of California, Riverside
researchers unleashed the wasp in southern California in 1989391 and elsewhere
in 1992.392 Success has been gradual. The beetle won't quickly go away in
California, but measures are being actively applied to stop its spread.
LOVE OR HATE AND THE ECOLOGICAL QUESTION
In recent years, a battleline has been drawn concerning the future of the
eucalyptus in California. There are those who dislike the tree because it isn't
native to California. There are others who love the tree and are very active and
vocal. This disagreement is not just occurring in California but is taking
place in other regions of the world. The eucalyptus' value to the local
environment is being questioned. The controversy concerning Angel Island
eucalyptus is a case in point.
During the Civil War, Angel Island became an U.S. Army base. Eucalyptus trees
were planted sporadically from 1863 through the 1930's for windbreaks and to
beautify the island.393 There are currently 80 acres of eucalyptus on the
island394 with most trees being forty to fifty years old.395
A plan was devised in 1979 by the California Park System to remove the
eucalyptus trees from Angel Island to allow the island's natural vegetation to
return. The Park System wanted the island to be an exhibit of natural California
vegetation.396 It was estimated that it would take twenty years for the natural
vegetation to fully return.397
One problem the plan ran into was the monarch butterfly. It uses the Angel
Island eucalyptus for its winter home. The trees provide shelter and nectar
during the long, cold winter months.398 However, there are 111 other locations
along the central California coast that the monarch also uses, 75% being
eucalyptus.399
Siding with the Park System have been environmental organizations, such as, the
Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, National Audubon Society, and the California
Native Plant Society. They too want natural vegetation to return to Angel
Island.400 This stance is represented in this statement made by Charlie
Danielson of the California Native Plant Society: " . . . the eucalyptus is a
weed. It grows extremely fast and has fewer limiting biological factors in its
new environment than native species . . . the large amounts of litter shed by
the trees are full of resin and break down very slowly, making it difficult for
native plants to gain a foothold . . . no animal species feed on eucalyptus . .
. "401
State ecologists want the parklands to have only natural vegetation, and the
non-native plants to be grown only in parks and private gardens.402 There are
6,021 species of vascular plants growing in California of which 975 are
non-native. On Angel Island there are 53 non-native plants and 416 native
plants.403
POET (Preserve Our Eucalyptus Trees) is a group that opposes the removal of
eucalyptus trees. When their opposition refers to the eucalyptus as a "giant
weed" or an "immigrant," they call this attitude "plant racism" or "specism" and
want it stopped before it spreads and gets entrenched in the minds of
Californians. Also POET fears that the giant environmental groups will influence
the public because they are vocal and highly visible. POET co-founder, Chris
Womack, feels that the eucalyptus is native enough to California: "Eucalyptus
have been in California for 100 or more years and many of us regard them as part
of the natural landscape."404
Hikers and bikers oppose the removal of the eucalyptus from Angel Island because
it adds beauty and provides shade and shelter. Ray Moritz, a private forestry
consultant believes the removal of the trees will do great ecological damage to
the island. It will cause soil erosion on the slopes, and the herbicides used to
kill the eucalyptus roots will delay the return of the natural vegetation.405
Mortiz feels a reasonable course of action would be to thin out the groves.
This would allow some of the natural vegetation to return and some of the trees
to remain. David Boyd, senior resource ecologist for the State Park's northern
region, argues that selective removal is not economically feasible. He wants all
the trees to be removed at once.406
Boyd made arrangements with Louisiana Pacific Corporation of Antioch to
transport the eucalyptus timber to its mill and be made into fibreboard. The
entire process would pay for itself not costing the state any money. But the
environmentalists are against this plan as it sets a precedent for logging off
other forests for commercial purposes.407 The Angel Island issue is on hold for
now.
A similar struggle goes on across the bay in Marin County. The National Park
Service wants to remove all of the eucalyptus from the Golden Gate Recreation
Area. There are thousands of trees with many over 100 years old.408 The groves
cover 600 acres and is seen as a fire risk. Just like the State Park Service,
the National Park Service wants only natural vegetation to grow on its
parklands.409 After much public debate, the issue has been tabled while a study
is being done concerning the historical value of the groves.410
There have been other clashes statewide on the removal issue. For example,
eucalyptus trees were cut down along Highway 17 in the Bay Area by the Federal
Highway Administration (FHA) because they blocked billboards.411 Thirteen years
later, the FHA reversed its policy and now gives trees priority over
billboards.412
In Antioch, William LeRoy sat in a eucalyptus tree protesting its removal. The
tree was on property that was scheduled for senior citizen housing.413 LeRoy got
900 community residents to sign a petition asking that the one-hundred year old
tree be spared because of its historical value to Antioch.414
Two eucalyptus on Nob Hill in San Francisco caused a stir in the community when
they were to be removed by the Department of Public Works. The neighborhood
argued that the trees were of value for their beauty and of tourist interest. A
streetside public hearing was held by the city which resulted in the canceling
of the removal plan.415
Confrontations on the eucalyptus removal issue still abound. The older trees are
large and messy, and mostly unsuitable for urban and suburban environments. Here
are some further examples to demonstrate how widespread the problem has been.
Five trees planted by San Francisco abolitionist and former slave, Mary (Mammy)
Pleasant were scheduled for removal which was cancelled due to historical
reasons.416 Fifty-three acres of eucalyptus were saved in Carlsbad by a
referendum.417
Some trees lost the battle though and were removed. In Ramona, eucalyptus trees
along Highway 67 were cut down for highway construction.418 On the campus of the
University of the Pacific, a row of 70-foot eucalyptus were removed because of
the danger of falling branches to people and cars.419 Falling branches is such a
problem in Australia that the eucalyptus is sometimes referred to as the "widow
maker" because of the deaths caused by falling branches.
Debate goes on at the international level concerning the value of the eucalyptus
to the community and to the environment. In China, eucalyptus was planted on a
massive scale for biomass fuel and pulp for paper. The local population
complained that the trees took away the nutrients from the soil and also
encroached on the natural vegetation. The Japanese too have been very active in
establishing eucalyptus plantations in the orient. The Japanese own the
plantations, but keep a low profile because the eucalyptus issue is very
sensitive at the local level.420
In Spain, three hundred inhabitants of Tarzones, a village on the Bay of
Biscay, revolted against the eucalyptus. At night they uprooted thousands of
eucalyptus seedlings planted that day. Near the village of Valpacos, Portugal,
2,000 farmers battled police because the intruding eucalyptus was damaging their
olive groves. In another Portuguese village, farmers chained themselves to
tractors so the lands could not be prepared for eucalyptus planting.421
In many parts of the world, the production of pulp for paper is an important
industry. Eucalyptus wood is being used more and more for pulp, and the presence
of large industrial eucalyptus plantations is angering local populations. The
problem has become political in that the farmers, local citizens, and
environmentalists see the eucalyptus as a capitalist venture, exploiting the
land to gain profit for others who live outside the region. The eucalyptus is
called "the capitalist tree" or the "fascist tree."422
There are two to three million acres of eucalyptus in Iberia. It is said the
eucalyptus " . . . dries up the water resources, causes soil erosion, ruins the
beauty of the landscape, destroys wildlife, and drives peasants from the land."
Shepherds lose their pastureland to large plantations. Towns don't receive
sunlight because the large trees shade them. Oil in the leaves discourages bugs,
and consequently, there are fewer birds. The large eucalyptus groves get
constant maintenance which leaves the ground barren and not attractive to
wildlife. The eucalyptus replaces vineyards and olive groves.423
In some parts of the world, the eucalyptus has been considered a boon to the
local economy, but when it fails for any reason the eucalyptus receives strong
criticism. Quite often failure is attributed to either selecting the wrong
species or selecting the wrong land. The problem is not really the tree but bad
forestry practice. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) reviewed the
eucalyptus issue worldwide, and in 1985, published their findings in a document
entitled "The Ecological Effects of Eucalyptus." It concluded after discussing
its field research:
Having reviewed the evidence very thoroughly, we must stress that there
can be no universal answer, either favorable or unfavorable, to the planting of
eucalypts. Nor should there be any universal answer: each case should be
examined on its individual merits. We cannot see how further general research,
however detailed, can alter this conclusion. We stress that eucalypts should
not be planted, especially on a large scale, without a careful and intelligent
assessment of the social and economic consequences, and an attempt to balance
the advantage against the disadvantages. 424
The discussion in this section on international issues is presented to alert the
reader to ensuing problems both ecologically and politically which might find
expression in California at some point. Also it is to make the reader aware of
worldwide interest in eucalyptus.
PLANTING AND CARE
There are a number of good publications that have basic information on the
proper planting methods and care of eucalyptus. Such authors as Abbott Kinney,
Ellwood Cooper, Alfred McClatchie, Norman Ingham, George Lull, C.H. Sellers, and
Woodbridge Metcalf give planting and care advice in their publications. Many of
these works have already been cited in this study. Much of the information is
similar and does not vary much even though some are older than others.
If one were to encapsulate the information in a phrase, it could be simply
stated, "treat the eucalyptus like any other plant." This means: select the
proper species, germinate the seeds indoors, keep seedlings in flat boxes, plant
seedlings in proper soil during proper weather, water as needed, cultivate soil,
and prune back when desired. This ideal recipe is basic to any plant with some
variation in regard to plant type and environmental conditions. In this section,
eucalyptus horticultural practices will be discussed briefly to give the reader
some basic background. The deliberation will be in the context of history
however.
One major question one must ask immediately before purchasing or gathering seed
is where will these eucalyptus trees be planted? Early in the history of
eucalyptus in California, planting was done on prime agricultural land with some
trees being planted on hillsides. Once it was determined that the eucalyptus
would not be a prime agricultural crop, farmers began planting them in waste
land leaving the good soil for more important crops. Eucalyptus then has a
history of being planted on poor soil void of nutrients, having little moisture,
and little cultivation. There are exceptions to this of course where
corporations planted large tracts of eucalyptus on good land. Some have planted
eucalyptus in private gardens and public parks.
Once location and the objective have been decided, then the species can be
chosen. Each eucalyptus species is different in regard to need and purpose. For
example, a blue gum is not suitable to residential planting because it grows too
big, is messy, tears up sidewalks, and invades sewer systems. It is more
suitable as a windbreak or for biomass fuel. To select a species it is always
advisable to use a written resource, or to ask an expert on the topic such as a
farm advisor or nurseryman. Abbott Kinney was one such advisor.
In 1895, Kinney suggested interested growers should contact people who had
eucalyptus experience, such as W.S. Lyons who was a botanist and former State
Forester; J.L. Stengle at Park Nursery in Los Angeles; and Dr. Francischi of
Santa Barbara.425 In his 1908 publication, George B. Lull listed several
nurseries that sold eucalyptus seed or seedlings and could give advice on
planting and care of the tree. Those were: Cox Seed Co., Pacific Nursery, and
Seaman Nursery all located in the Bay Area. In southern California he listed
Germain Seed and Plant Co., Stengel Exotic Nursery Co., and Theo. Payne.426
In some instances it was cheaper to grow seedlings than to buy them especially
when large quantities were needed. Also there would be more consistency in seed
stock if the grower collected and grew his own. Seed costs varied throughout the
state from $8 to $30 a thousand. It would cost from $2.50 to $3.50 a thousand to
grow seedlings. To buy or to grow seedlings was a matter of local economics and
a separate decision for each grower.427
If species besides the common ones were desired, seed needed to be collected
because they normally weren't available for sale. The best time to collect
eucalyptus seeds is before the fruit opens. Once collected store in sacks or
boxes. In warm water, seeds will open in 24 hours.428 There are 50,000 blue gum
seeds in one pound and of these 40,000 will germinate and grow.429 Eucalyptus
seeds will not germinate well in open soil but will in protected boxes.430
Growers have though broadcasted seed on sides of hills and have planted one seed
at a time. The best time to do this is late June or early July.431
For the best results, put seeds under 2 1/2 inches of soil covered with a layer
of sand or redwood sawdust to hold the moisture. Be sure to keep the seeds damp
through the heat of the day. Once the seedling breaks through the soil, water
less or fungus will occur.432 A lath house is the best facility for the
germination of seed. It provides shade but allows some sun to filter in as well.
The rule of thumb is forty seedlings per one square foot of space. Be sure to
keep ants, rodents, and birds out.433
To be successful, McClatchie urges to plant species in the same conditions found
in their native Australia. Some like arid climate while others like damp
climate. Red and sugar gums do best in dry climates while the blue gum adapts
easily to coastal moisture.434 It is important to know a species' frost
toleration to be able to determine what climate in which to plant it.435
Having the right soil is crucial. Nearly all eucalyptus do well if the soil is
properly prepared and maintained. The soil needs to plowed and harrowed to allow
the roots to reach moisture.436 It was found in a study by the University of
California early this century that eucalyptus do poorly on sandy mesa soil and
gravelly adobe slopes. Rich loamy soil is the general preference of the
eucalyptus.437
Make sure that brush and trees are removed so the eucalyptus doesn't have to
compete with them for soil nutrients.438 Soil should be free of clods,439 and
then plant seedlings when six inches tall.440 Plant the seedlings in May or
June. Be watchful of rodents eating the seedlings. Seedlings should be ten to
twenty inches tall in the San Joaquin Valley because of the harshness of the
summer heat.441 It is good to plant seedlings before a rain. Cooper made this
comment in regard to planting: "I have, with ten men, transplanted as many as
seven thousand in an afternoon, and have ninety-five percent live."442 Organize
workers in teams. One group digs the holes, one to plant, and one to cover
up.443
Avoid shock to the seedlings by keeping soil around the roots. Plant 1 1/2
inches lower in the soil than in the flat boxes. Press soil firmly and give
small amount of water. Do cultivate to kill the weeds which would take the
nutrients away from the eucalyptus seedlings.444
Plant 1,000 trees to an acre with a spacing of 6 x 7 feet. In five years remove
3/4 of them leaving the straight and better specimens.445 McClatchie suggests
planting them with 8 x 8 or 6 x 10 spacing. He advises not to plant too close as
it affects proper growth.446 Ingham notes that spacing is important, and that
close spacing will produce straight trees. Close spacing will also create a
canopy which will shade the soil preventing evaporation and discourage ground
vegetation.447
Lull suggests not to space smaller than 6 x 6 feet and not to space beyond 10 x
10. Take into consideration the purpose of the eucalyptus. It firewood is
desired, spread the spacing out for more bushiness. If poles or posts are
wanted, space closer for straight trees with little branches.448
Give the seedlings plenty of water especially in the inland areas which are much
drier. Keep rabbits and other rodents away from the seedlings as they will eat
them.449 Cultivation is important as it stimulates growth in young trees. In hot
and dry climates, cultivation allows the young tree's roots time to locate the
water table.450 It also stops weed growth which can sap the young tree's
growth.451 Cultivating costs should not exceed $5 for the first year and $2.50
the second year per 1895 estimates.452
Weak trees will soon die out allowing the stronger ones to use all the nutrients
for greater growth.453 Thinning out of trees should be based on a production
plan. Yield tables have been developed which factor in diameter of the tree,
height of the tree, and the number of trees per acre. Such tables determine the
number of trees needed to produce a certain yield.454
Any cutting, thinning or pruning should be done when the tree is least active
which is normally during the late fall or winter. This is done so as not to
bleed the tree's vitality. Cut the tree at an angle so the moisture will drain
off thereby avoiding fungus growth. Cut the tree low because each new sprouting
grows higher on the trunk.455
"The value of a plantation when ten years old will depend most largely on the
care that it received during the first four or five years of it growth," advised
Norman Ingham in 1908. It is important to remove limbs that deform trees to
allow for straighter and healthier growth.456 It cost from $15 to $50 per acre
to prepare, plant, and maintain a plantation in 1908.457
INDIVIDUAL TREES, GROVES AND, PLANTATIONS
Planting of eucalyptus in California began gradually and then exploded on a
massive scale. In the beginning eucalyptus was planted in gardens, near barns,
next to houses, and along country lanes primarily for ornamental purposes. Once
its value as firewood was seen, wider planting occurred. Next came the
recognition of eucalyptus as a hardwood which could be used in numerous ways for
profit, but this played out quickly when it failed to meet expectations. Left in
the wake of this history are single trees, groves, and plantations. They provoke
interest and their stories provide rich history which is covered in this
section.
In 1876, Ellwood Cooper planted 50,000 eucalyptus on his "Ellwood" ranch. He
recorded the progress of his enterprise advertising it when he could. Within
three years his trees reached over forty feet. He planted on a variety of
terrain for experimentation to see how the trees compared.458 It was reported
that he cut 1,000 cords of wood per year which sold for $2.50 a cord or $2,500.
His listeners were reminded that this money came from land little used for other
purposes.459 Cooper wrote of other successes. General Naglee planted eucalyptus
in San Jose in 1866 which grew within ten years to a height of ninety feet and a
diameter of eighteen inches.460
In 1895, Abbott Kinney wrote of blue gum which he planted along Santa Monica
streets in 1876. Kinney was the road master for the area, and he planted the
trees in straight rows for aesthetics. Many didn't receive proper care and were
cut down for firewood. This left holes in his orderly rows. He complained about
this and about realtors who planted eucalyptus unevenly on property.461 Kinney
also told of Dr. Charles P. Murray, who was the road master for the Sierra Madre
district, and his sugar gum plantings along the Lamanda and Sierra Madre
roads.462
Kinney spent a day in the early 1890's at the University of California, Berkeley
campus inspecting the eucalyptus trees planted decades before. He found fourteen
species and most were in bad condition. He wasn't pleased about what he saw and
wrote: " . . . the Eucalyptus plantations at the University of California
grounds are uninteresting."463 In 1943, the California Division of Forestry
recorded that the tallest eucalyptus tree in the state was on the Berkeley
campus which measured 209 feet. In this grove there were 113 trees averaging
146.9 feet in height and 25 inches in diameter. It was projected that the grove
could produce 294 cords of wood. This particular grove was planted in 1884, and
the size of the trees even awed Australian visitors.464
Eucalyptus seed and seedling giveaway program of the University of California
Experiment Station was popular throughout the state. In its 1903 report, it
listed the
species and the growers receiving them. The growers were expected to keep
records and give feedback to the University. The species in the program were the
familiar ones, such as, rostrata, leucoxylon, robusta, gunnii, polyanythema,
citriodora,and globulus. Growers participating in the program were Albert Etter
of Ettersberg, Humboldt County; H. Overacker Jr. of St. Helena, Napa County;
L.L. Guss of Oakley, Contra Costa County; C.C. Wulff of Watsonville, Santa Cruz
County; S.H. Haskell of Porterville, Tulare County; Alfred Day of Chatsworth
Park, Los Angeles County; and Mrs. C.E. Foss of Alpine, San Diego County.465
During the eucalyptus boom period, many plantations were established. Dwight
Whiting of El Toro, Orange County, reportedly planted 1,000 acres of gray, red,
and sugar gums. The Bixby Company of Long Beach planted 3,000 acres of blue,
gray, lemon, and sugar gums.466 Harry W. Dunn reported in his 1906 article that
the Santa Fe Railroad had planted eucalyptus on its southern California ranch
of 10,000 acres. In the desert, near the towns of Calexico, Coachella, and
Imperial, several hundred acres were planted in eucalyptus. He commented467 that
"Eucalyptus trees are being planted all over the bare foothills of southern
California."468
Union Lumber Company at Fort Bragg, Mendocino County logged off 10,000 to 15,000
acres to plant eucalyptus, George B. Lull, State Forester, reported in 1908. The
plan was really for the reforesting of redwoods. An eucalyptus tree would be
planted next to a redwood to block out the hot sun so the redwood could grow
without being burned.
Central Counties Land Company planted blue and sugar gums in the Clear Lake
area. Pacific Electric Company and the Ontario Power Company bought land in
Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to plant with eucalyptus.469
Lull lists some of the owners who planted groves for firewood:
Owner Location Acreage
Cooper Ellwood 200
Bennett Del Mar 200
Nadeau Florence 115
Meecham Petaluma 100
Varrick Orange 90
Hazard Los Angeles 90
Thaxter Florence 80
Nichol Santa Fe Sprgs 80
Smith Berkeley 80
Bixby Long Beach 80
Rosencrans Gardena 80
Gunn Santa Fe Sprgs 50
Hough Huntington Park 40
Sexton Compton 40
Kellam Compton 40 470
Norman D. Ingham in his 1908 publication for the College of Agriculture
Experiment Station, Berkeley, has a section listing the places in California
where eucalyptus has been planted and the species planted. For example at Tulare
amygdalina, gunnii, rostrata, viminalis, globulus, and resinifera were planted.
At San Jose globulus, rostrata, viminalis, stuartiana, corynocalyx, rudis,
polyanthema, and tereticornis were planted.471
C.H. Sellers, a former Assistant State Forester, in his 1910 publication there
were yield tables of major California eucalyptus plantations. He compiled this
information at the height of the eucalyptus boom to give tangible numbers to
legitimize the eucalyptus industry. This was done to encourage growers and to
give information to prospective investors. The tables contained the owner of the
grove, grove's location, spacing between trees, age of trees, number of trees
per acre, volume of timber, cords, volume of board feet, and if the trees began
from seedlings or sprouted.472
Without question Sellers' study contained very valuable information. Tree
spacing varied with each plantation from 4 x 4 feet to 12 x 12 feet with the
most common being 8 x 8 and 10 x 10. The Baldwin plantation had the oldest trees
which were 24 years old followed by the trees at the Mecham plantation in
Petaluma which were 20 years old. Most plantations in southern California had
eucalyptus of 6 to 9 years. Baldwin had the largest volume followed by Mecham.
In Compton, Micheaux, Diamond Coal Company, Lassing, Montique, Sexton, and
Stewart had eucalyptus plantations. Bailey and Newman had plantations in Santa
Ana. Most of Sellers' research centered in southern California.473
Harrison Mecham's (Meechan or Meccham, spelling varies) ranch located 6 miles
north of Petaluma had 200 acres in eucalyptus which had been planted in 1888.
The ranch contained 5,000 to 6,000 acreage of rolling hills where cattle and
sheep grazed. The eucalyptus occupied the gullies and hilltops to provide
shelter for the livestock from the frequent rains.474
L. Micheaux of Compton kept records of his eucalyptus which were shared with
others. His plantation was used in promotional literature, and in one such
brochure of the Eucalyptus Timber Corporation (1910) this was written:
Mr. Micheaux's work is a striking example of successful Eucalyptus
culture, and the public is indebted to him for some very valuable data as to
the actual results which he has accomplished. He has kept a careful record of
the date of each cutting and the results obtained, and is, therefore, in
position to speak accurately and intelligently.475
In 1910, Ellwood Cooper had eucalyptus that were now 35 years old and 175 feet
in height which when cut could produce 2,000 feet of lumber each.476 In Linda
Vista near San Jose, a grove of blue gum planted in 1870 were from 40 to 150
feet tall as noted in the 1910 publication of Louis Margolin on eucalyptus
yields. He studied the important plantations and groves of the state. In
northern California, he visited the Mecham ranch and studied the trees. In
Alameda County, he examined a number of groves that were 30 to 40 years old.
These trees had grown in loamy soil which is the best for eucalyptus. There were
300 to 800 trees per acre.477
Margolin's study contained individual tables for each grove he visited and gave
the location, number of trees per acre, height, and volume per acre. The
majority of the groves are under ten years of age and trees height averages 40
feet. He also has tables of older groves of 20 years with trees 100 feet tall.
Only blue gum appears in the study.478
The 1916 report of the State Forester presents a table listing the California
commercial plantations in existence. The table gives the plantation's location,
eucalyptus species, acreage planted, age of the trees, and condition. It shows
an immediate decline in the eucalyptus industry just after the boom. Companies
whose plantations were studied: American Eucalyptus Company, California
Eucalyptus Timber Company, Eucalyptus Estates Company, Golden State Eucalyptus
Company, Sacramento Valley Eucalyptus Company, and Yolo Eucalyptus Company.
Acreages ran from 240 of the American Eucalyptus Company to 1,330 of the
Sacramento Valley Eucalyptus Company. The most popular species were
tereticornia, rostrata, and globulus. Trees on the whole were four to seven
years old and mostly in poor to fair condition. Just the Pratt Eucalyptus
Company of Escondido had an excellent rating.479
In the August 1956 issue of Sunset Magazine there was an article describing the
various California eucalyptus groves along with a map of their location. It
begins with the Mecham ranch groves planted in the 1880's. One grove is 1 1/2
miles long and 7 rows wide. Near Lakeville and Petaluma Creek there are trees
planted in the 1860's. Near Glen Ellen is Jack London's ranch where 10,000
eucalyptus were planted in 1910. William T. Coleman, who was the leader of the
1856 San Francisco vigilantes planted blue gum on his ranch north of San
Rafael.480
Tamalpais Valley grove of red and blue gums were planted in 1910 with 75,000
seedlings to ultimately be used as pilings for San Francisco wharves. In the
East Bay, Frank Havens and his People's Water Company planted $250,000 worth of
red and blue gums in the Berkeley-Oakland hills. Eucalyptus trees were planted
at Mills College in 1871. Across the bay, the Presidio, Sutro Forest, Mount
Davidson, and Yerba Buena Island. Some of these come from San Francisco Mayor
Adolf Sutro's Arbor Day plantings in the 1880's. In 1886, 3,000 people traveled
by boat to Yerba Buena Island to plant eucalyptus and to hear speeches given by
Sutro, Joaquin Miller, and General Mariano Vallejo.481
In the 1870's, John McLaren, developer of Golden Gate Park, planted elms along
El Camino Real. Eucalyptus trees were planted next to the elms to shelter them.
These blue and manna gums outgrew the elms and were removed eventually for
highway widening.482 McLaren also planted 30,000 trees in Golden Gate Park among
which were eucalyptus.483 In 1888, eucalyptus and other trees were planted on
the Stanford University campus. Soon the eucalyptus outgrew the other trees and
became the focal point of the arboretum and botanic garden. In 1956, the oldest
existing eucalyptus tree in California was the San Jose eucalyptus planted in
1858 by Captain Joseph Aram.484
In the central valley of California, practically every ranch had an eucalyptus
tree planted near ranch buildings. Frederick Roeding, a Fresno nurseryman,
planted a number of eucalyptus species at Roeding Park, Fresno. Also in Fresno,
are 3,000 eucalyptus planted by Theodore Kearney at Kearney Park. The J.C.
McCubbin ranch near Dinuba has manna gum trees planted in 1889. In Visalia,
there is an eucalyptus tree planted by David Douglass in 1860.485
John Smedley of the South Pacific Coast Railroad planted eucalyptus along the
streets of Newark, located in southern Alameda County in the 1870's.486 At the
Los Angeles State and County Arboretum is found the "Wolfskill Eucalyptus" next
to Queen Anne Cottage. Some feel that William Wolfskill planted eucalyptus on
the Rancho Santa Anita in the 1860's or 1870's. Harris Newmark bought the rancho
in 1872 and commented that there were five blue gums near the house. The Queen
Anne Cottage was built in 1881 by another owner, E.J. Baldwin, and he planted
eucalyptus. Many feel that the "Wolfskill Eucalyptus" was actually planted by
Baldwin in 1881.487
Found in the National Register of Historic Places is the Etiwanda Windbreaks of
San Bernardino. These eucalyptus were planted to protect fruit trees, fences,
and houses from the constant winds blow in from the Cajon Pass.488 In South
Pasadena, there is a citriodora eucalyptus that was planted by John Muir in
1889.489 Phineas Banning built a home in Los Angeles in 1864 and planted a
forest of red gums from Australian seeds given to him by missionary.490
The grandparents of all the blue gums planted in southern California are the
blue gums found at Shadow Park in Canoga Park. They were planted by Alfred
Workman in the 1870's from seed brought to him from his native Australia.491
Selected as the "Champion Tree" by the American Forestry Association was the red
gum found at the Tracy Ranch in Kern County. In 1990 it was 171 feet tall and 15
feet in circumference. It was planted by Fanny Tracy in 1904 where at one time
there were three acres of eucalyptus.492
In recent years, because of pulp and biomass fuel interest, a 250 acre
plantation was developed by Louisiana-Pacific Corporation near Willows,
California. On it are 50,000 eucalyptus to be used for waferboard and pulp. In
1985, the largest grower of eucalyptus in California was Rod Kazanjian of
Delano. He has 1,240 acres in eucalyptus.493 In 1988, 1.8% of the hardwoods in
California was eucalyptus compared to 20.2% for California black oak.494
ECONOMICS
Much of the interest in eucalyptus has been in some fashion related to
economics. Its fast growth, size, and utility commands a look at its
possibilities. The profit road for the eucalyptus has not always been smooth.
Some growers have had success, and indeed internationally, the eucalyptus
industry is faring well. California eucalyptus history would be incomplete
without some discussion of its economics.
Ellwood Cooper writing in 1876 addressed eucalyptus economics in plain terms.
After five years of growth, 250 eucalyptus trees can produce 700 fence posts for
a
total of $100, and the scrap wood would bring in another $100. This would be a
total of $200. It cost $20 a year to plant, maintain, and harvest the 250 trees
which makes a total expense of $100 for five years. One then would make $100
profit for the five years. At the end of 50 years, it would be $10,000
profit.495 A nice sum, but a long wait.
Eucalyptus normally was planted on unused or waste land, and when profits were
made, it was additional money for the farmer. General Stratton of Alameda County
planted 45 acres of blue gums in 1869 on hilly land east of Hayward. In 1880,
he cut down 20 acres of the trees and sold them for $3,866 or about $17.50 an
acre.496
Near Los Angeles during this same time, a grove of blue gum made a profit of
$6,450 at the end of seven years or $9.50 per acre. It cost $7.50 for an acre
worth of seedlings; labor to plant per acre was $5; yearly cultivation was $5
per acre; and rental of the land was $3 per acre each year. Total expense for
seven years per acre was $38.50. The grove produced 35 cords per acre at $3 a
cord, or $105 per acre total. Total expense was $3,734.50 and total takein was
$10,185 which produced a profit of $6,450 at the end of seven years.497
In 1894, one writer summed it up this way:
The average market price of this wood is $3 per cord, and when a man
gets a yield of $45 per acre, which includes the expense of chopping and
loading upon the cars, he is doing better, and placing more cash to his credit
in the bank, than any farmer in the Williamette or Sacramento Valleys with a
yield of fifty bushels of wheat to the acre.498
Later in 1908, the tune had changed some. Now the thought was hardwood
production instead of firewood as exemplified by this writer:
Wood as a fuel is rapidly becoming a luxury, and there is in the mind of
this writer no reason for expecting any increase in use as fuel by the general
public . . . (it is) unprofitable and unwise to enter upon Eucalyptus planting
with the sole idea of raising wood for fuel . . . the future will be found in
hardwood for wagon work, farm and other implements, railroad coach, and house
furnishings . . .499
At the time of this prognosis, the boom was on and prospects were high.
Another writer in the same year talked of growing eucalyptus in rich
agricultural soil: "Groves set out in fertile Los Angeles Valley have yielded
from 50 to 80 cords at every cutting. Yields of 75 cords per acre every seven or
eight years have been frequent." Large trees500 produced four to six cords or
1,500 to 3,000 feet of wood. Trees brought between $12 to $25 each.501 At this
time, eucalyptus promoters were making some fabulous claims such as $2,500
planted today in eucalyptus would bring $25,000 every ten years with proper
care.502
L. Micheaux of Compton was featured in promotional literature describing his
fortune made in eucalyptus. His 30 acre plantation had been cut a third time and
sold for cord wood. He cut six acres of 5-7 year old trees and sold the wood for
$3,726 after expenses. He sold 500 trees for telegraph poles to a railroad for
$2,800. He also thinned out his plantation and sold cord wood for $7 per cord.
His profits from this and other eucalyptus wood was $8,626 for six acres of 6
1/2 years of growth. He sold 120 acres containing eucalyptus for $700 per acre
near Santa Ana.503
For hardwood in 1910, eucalyptus would bring $25 per 1,000 feet of board on the
stump. This was the price for 23 year old trees south of Hollywood. The trees
were 125 to 150 feet tall and 36 inches in diameter. These would produce 1,500
to 2,000 feet of lumber each.504
W.E. Graves, representing the Eucalyptus Timber Company, visited Ellwood Cooper
at his ranch near Santa Barbara in 1910. The intent was to promote the
eucalyptus industry of which Cooper was California's very first strong
proponent.
The two men were looking at a grove of 30 year old trees which were about 160
feet tall. Graves asked Cooper how much money would they get?
Well, there are sixteen trees in that clump. The third one on the right
is 2 1/2 feet in diameter and measures over 2000 feet of lumber. It is safe to
say the trees will average fully 1000 feet each. This would make 16,000 feet of
lumber. I can sell the lumber any day F.O.B. cars here, cut and cured, at $100
per thousand feet, which would make the trees bring $1600.
(Graves asks) That is, of course, taking both the grower's and
millman's profit, Mr. Cooper, would you not sell those trees just as they stand
on the stump for say $1000 cash?
(Cooper replies) No, I would not, for I have quite a large acreage of
Eucalyptus on my ranch, and I intend putting in a sawmill next year, and it
will not cost me anything but $500 to cut and cure 16,000 feet of lumber.505
At this time, Hughes Manufacturing Company, the largest cabinet factory in
southern California would pay $90 to $100 per 1,000 feet of eucalyptus lumber if
properly cured.506 Hardwood profits were there if the eucalyptus wood could
produce the desired products. Also at this time (boom period), a veneering plant
and six sawing and manufacturing plants were established just to handle
eucalyptus.507
Promotional companies during the boom period were planting land with eucalyptus
and selling it for $250 an acre. The Forest Service did measurements on yield
and felt that growers would get a fair return on their investment when paying
not more than $60 per acre. Soon it was realized that ten-year old eucalyptus
was suitable only for firewood.508
Eucalyptus firewood in 1924 was selling for $18 to $24 a cord delivered or $10
to $16 not delivered. A grower could hire out cutting and stacking for $8 to $12
a cord. But some eucalyptus firewood sold for just $1 a cord when competing
with other woods such as oak or orchard wood. Transporting costs can be
expensive especially when most eucalyptus groves are planted in isolated areas
and on rough terrain.509
Cost of planting in 1912 was $25 to $40 an acre. By 1924 it had increased to $45
to $60 an acre. Owners of well-maintained groves estimated it cost $100 an acre
to buy land, plant and cultivate for ten years. Even regarding transporting
costs from difficult terrain, the grower is still better off using steep and
unused land for eucalyptus than rich agricultural land.510
Eucalyptus four to six years old can be sawn for firewood. For maximum value, it
is better though to wait until they are eight to ten years. Firewood can be sawn
earlier from sprouted eucalyptus. For hardwood timber purposes, it takes twenty
to thirty years to produce satisfactory quality, and much longer for superior
grades.511
In 1988, to break even selling eucalyptus as biomass fuel, a grower would need
to get $65 cord at least. On the stump it would run $26 to $40 a ton.512 Again,
as has been the case throughout eucalyptus history, it is cheaper to use waste
land or non-agriculture acreage for eucalyptus fuel production.513
SO MANY EUCALYPTUS SPECIES!
Nearly all the classic works on the eucalyptus have a section in them describing
and identifying the various eucalyptus species. Baron Ferdinand von Mueller was
the first to do so in his 1876 Australian work Eucalyptographia. In the same
year Californian Ellwood Cooper published a work entitled Forest Culture and
Eucalyptus Trees which included descriptions of the various eucalyptus species.
The next important California eucalyptus work appeared nearly two decades later
in 1895 written by Abbott Kinney with the title Eucalyptus. This was the
definitive publication of the time containing information on the various species
and their relationship to the California environment. In 1902, Alfred McClatchie
authored an important work entitled Eucalypts Cultivated in the United States.
This study was published by the U.S. Bureau of Forestry and discussed the
numerous species, their usage, and value.
Two important publications appeared in 1908. One came from the State Board of
Forestry with the title A Handbook for Eucalyptus Planters, and the other from
the University of California Experiment Station entitled Eucalyptus of
California. The latter is of special interest in that it contains photographs
and identification of eucalyptus foliage. The State Forester published in 1910
the work Eucalyptus: Its History, Growth and Utilization which was written by
C.H. Sellers. It too had a section identifying California eucalyptus species.
Finally, there are Woodbridge Metcalf's published works which contains
identification of species.
Two recent Australian publications provide illustrations and descriptions of
species. The most beautiful is the two volume work written and drawn by Stan
Kelly and published in the United States in 1983 with the title Eucalypts. It is
highly pictorial and contains descriptive text. The other publication is Forest
Trees in Australia which was published in 1957 and contains photographs and
descriptions.
There are over 600 eucalyptus species worldwide. The exact number is difficult
to pinpoint because there are many hybrids that look similar.514 In 1900, the
number found in the literature was generally 150 species.515 Australian botanist
W.F. Blakely reported in 1955 that there were 522 species and 150 varieties.516
Once a set of identification criteria was established and scientists used new
technology available to them, the figure easily looms over 600 species.
Two hundred eucalyptus species have been transported to other continents from
Australia.517 There are at least 100 species growing in California.518 At one
time the Santa Monica Forestry Station had 70 species alone.519 In 1924, Metcalf
felt that he could identify between 60 to 75 species in California.520 Again,
the reason for such ambiguity is that many species look alike.
Recently, Grace Heintz of Santa Monica, identified 500 eucalyptus species in
California! She is a novice botanist who published a book entitled Trees of
Santa Monica. How reliable is her information? Jim Bauml, senior botanist for
the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum, consults with Heintz on
identification. He prides Heintz and her
abilities, and notes that there is no one "who has a broader or deeper knowledge
of eucalyptus." She is referred to as the "Johnny Appleseed of eucalyptus."521
Heintz is undoubtedly using a finer line of identification to locate that many.
Because eucalyptus grow in tight knit groves, hybrids are numerous.
Identifying eucalyptus has always been a problem and so has the names applied to
the various species. A common name can be applied to several species. For
example, some
call all eucalyptus "blue gum" or "gum." Australian settlers grouped the
eucalyptus into four types: gum, iron bark, stringy bark, and box or wooly
butt.522 These general names are enough evidence to see the necessity of
assigning scientific names to the species.
In this section information is given for only the most popular California
species. This way the reader does not have to go to the major eucalyptus works
for quick information.
These are the most popular California species:
E. amygdalina or black peppermint is the tallest of the eucalyptus with
measurements over 400 feet in its native environment of Tasmania. The tallest
recorded was 475 feet with a circumference of 130 feet. The tree was over 200
years old.523 The species was used in ships especially planks because of its
length.524 It grows well in most of California even in the frosty inland
valleys, but its height isn't as grand as in the Tasmanian virgin forests. It
has dense foliage and branches droop. Its bark is rough and persistent, and has
a distinctive peppermint scent. It seems to do well in poor soil.
E. camaldulensis, or red gum or Murray red gum or river gum, is the most
widely distributed eucalyptus in Australia and hence an adaptable species. It
can found in the San Joaquin Valley.525 In California it has denser foliage and
has been confused with rostrata.526
E. citriodora, or lemon-scented gum, and also referred to as spotted gum,
carries a strong lemon scent. Its scented oil produces citronella which is a
fragrant perfume. It is a native of Queensland in northeast Australia. It
doesn't take the frost well which makes it a coastal tree. There are some fine
specimens on the University of California, Berkeley campus. Its barks is a
smooth silvery-white.527
E. cornuta, or yate eucalyptus, is native of southwestern Australia. It has
rough and furrowed bark, and grows best along the California coast. Cornuta does
well in alkaline soils and is used to reclaim land by draining the alkali from
the soil.528
E. corynocalyx, or sugar gum has leaves that are somewhat sweet and will
leave a taste of almonds. It is fed to cattle and sheep, and does well in dry
areas because it has a long taproot. It is from southern Australia and when used
as posts or poles will resist ground rot the best. Sugar gum is more
frost-tolerant than most species and is used as hardwood in construction. It has
red foliage and round leaves. Sugar gum can be found along roadways and being
used as windbreaks. A very adaptable species that grows up to 150 feet in
height.529
E. dalyrmpleana, or white gum, comes from southeastern Australia and
Tasmania. It is very similar to viminalis and resists frost well. It has rough
bark at the base and smooth yellowish white bark elsewhere.530
E. globulus, or blue gum, is the most popular of the eucalyptus species
planted in California. The words "eucalyptus" and "blue gum" are synonymous in
the minds of many in that "blue gum" stands for all eucalyptus species. It is a
native of Tasmania and Victoria, Australia and was first identified in 1792 by
the French botanist Laubillardiere. Some trees in the virgin forest were over
300 feet tall. Its popularity stems from its very rapid growth and its use as
windbreaks and firewood. If not seasoned properly, blue gum wood will warp and
twist making it useless as a hardwood. In Australia, it was used in most
construction especially in shipmaking, but the trees were from virgin forest and
very old. Its widespread use in its native land misled Californians who were
expecting their young trees to have the same qualities as the much older
Australian trees. It grows best along the California coast because it likes damp
climate. Frost will cripple it, but it resprouts quickly. It has been referred
to as the "fever tree" because of its ability to dry up moisture in swampy lands
thereby eliminating the breeding ground of the malaria-carrying mosquito.
Eucalyptol is distilled from its leaves and used in medicines.531
E. marginata, or jarrah, was considered to be the most valuable lumber for
wharves and pilings because of it ability to resist the teredo worm.532 It is a
slow grower and can be found primarily in southern California with some groves
in the San Francisco Bay Area. It comes from the southwestern corner of
Australia.
E. obliqua, or messmate stringybark or messmate, grows in the southeastern
corner of Australia and Tasmania. It has served the Australians well because of
its many uses and its vigorous growth. It resembles European ash trees and was
called "ash" by the early settlers in Australia. It has reached 225 feet in
height in its native land. It grows well along the California coast because of
its need for moisture.533
E. resinifera, or mahogany gum or red mahogany, has been used extensively
in Australia and somewhat in the United States for mahogany inside railroad
cars. It can be found along the east coast of Australia and does its best along
the California coast.534
E. robusta, or swamp mahogany or swamp messmate, has rough red bark. It can
be found primarily in southern California and grows well in low wet ground
especially in alkali soil in the San Joaquin Valley. In Australia, it is found
in New South Wales and has been used in shipbuilding and for various hardwood
implements.535
E. rostrata, or red gum, grows extensively in California. It can tolerate
frost, drought, and heat. It is durable and is used for a multitude of products.
It is used for posts, piles, shipbuilding, and construction especially in
southeast Australia in the early pioneer years. Red gum is the most versatile
eucalyptus and can grow in all types of soils and environments. It is as hard as
iron when dried.536
E. rudis, or desert gum, is a medium size tree of 75 to 100 feet in height.
It is found in the southwest corner of Australia and is known there as swamp
gum. It grows well along rivers but also likes dry climate.537
E. sideroxylon, or red ironbark, comes from southeast Australia, and its
wood is dense and durable. It resists frost and heat. It is used extensively
throughout California especially along highways.
E. tereticornis, or gray gum (or forest red gum in Australia), is both
frost and drought resistant. Because of its environmental adaptability, it grows
well in the central valley of California. In Australia, it has had wide use,
from shipbuilding to posts, because of it is durable in water and ground. It was
used reliably by early Australian settlers.538
E. viminalis, or manna gum, has grown over 300 feet tall in Australia. The
name "manna" was given to it because it secretes a gum that becomes white thin
flakes eaten by children of Australian settlers and Aborigines. It is not very
durable, but it can tolerate frost. It is found in southeastern Australia and in
Tasmania. In California is seen mostly in the San Joaquin Valley. It is a
favorite food of koalas.539
FINIS
This concludes the study of eucalyptus in California. The poem "Eucalyptus,
II" by William J. Margolis is a fitting summation of the character of this
marvelous unique tree.
Eucalyptus, II
Yes, Eucalyptus, you just stand
and sway in the wind, suck
the breast of earth,
breathe the sun,
yes, Eucalyptus, you just grow.
In rain you soak it up,
in calm you do not move,
& when the wind is fierce
you flex & gyre & snap a twig
& shed leaves all over the neighbors.
No, Eucalyptus, I'm not so flexible
as you -- I drown in these rains
and these gales lacerate my flesh
and my soul splits and shatters
all over the neighbors.
Yes, Eucalyptus, teach me
your stolidity -- I'll get
the hang of it yet. 540
1
Robert Fyfe Zachrin, Emigrants Eucalyptus (Melbourne: Melbourne University
Press, 1978), 39.
2
Ibid., 42-43.
3
Ibid., 44.
4
Ibid., 51.
5
Ibid., 51
6
Ibid.
7
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, Eucalypts Culti-
vation in the United States, by Alfred James McClatchie, Bulletin, no. 35
(Washington, DC: GPO, 1902), 15.
8
California Agricultural Society, "Australian Forest Trees," in Trans-
actions During the Years 1866 and 1867 (Sacramento, D.W. Gelwicks, State
Printer, 1868), 271-272.
9
Ellwood Cooper, Forest Culture and Eucalyptus Trees (San Francisco:
Cubery, 1876), 46-50.
10
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Eucalypts Cultivation in the United States,
20.
11
Ibid.
12
Alfred James McClatchie, "Eucalyptus of the Southwest," Out West
20(April 1904): 338.
13
Ibid., 340.
14
Cooper, 15.
15
California State Forester, Eucalyptus: Its History, Growth, and Utili-
zation, by C.H. Sellers. (Sacramento: A.J. Johnston Co., Printer, 1910), 11.
16
Kenneth Johnson, "Eucalyptus," Out West 6(October 1971): 46-47.
17
George Eugene Fairhead, "Eucalyptus, the Hardwood of the Present"
Out West 31(December 1909): 953.
18
University of California, Berkeley, Extension of Agricultural Ser-
vices, Trees of the Berkeley Campus, Rev. ed. (Berkeley: The Extension,
1976), v.
19
Albert Wilson, "The Story of Two Careers: One of Tree, and the Other
of a Man," Journal of the California Horticultural Society (October 1961):
144-148.
20
Viola Lockhart Warren, "Eucalyptus Crusade," Southern California
Quarterly 44(March 1962): 31.
21
Carrie Casey, "Oakland's Redwood Retreat," American Forests 97
(November 1991): 55.
22
David John Nowak, "Urban Forest Development and Structure: Analysis
of Oakland, California" (Ph.D., diss., University of California, Berkeley,
1991), 109.
23
Casey, 55.
24
California State Agricultural Society, "Australasian Arborculture,"
by T.B. Merry, in Transactions During the Year 1893 (Sacramento: A.J.
John-ston, State Printer, 1894), 125.
25
John S. Hittel, The Resources of California (San Francisco: A. Roman,
1863), 72.
26
Ibid., 92.
27
Titus Fey Cronise, The Natural Wealth of California (San Francisco:
H.H. Bancroft, 1868), 111.
28
Ibid., 320.
29
Myra Hamilton, "Eucalyptus," American Horticulturist 57(October
1978): 27.
30
Frank William Purdy, "Eucalyptus Cultivation in California, 1853-
1900" (MA thesis, Sacramento State College, 1968), iii.
31
Will Lawson, Blue Gum Clippers and Whale Ships of Tasmania (Mel-
bourne: Georgian House, 1949), 15; Harry O'May, comp., Wooden Hookers of
Hobart Town (Tasmania: L.G. Shea, Government Printer, 1900?), 60.
32
Jay Monaghan, Australians and the Gold Rush (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1966), 3.
33
Lawson, 15.
34
Charles Bateson, Gold Fleet for California (Sydney: Ure Smith, 1963),
156.
35
Johnson, 41; Woodbridge Metcalf, "Eucalyptus Trees Around the
World," Journal of the California Horticultural Society (April-June 1958):
31.
36
Johnson, 41.
37
Purdy, 3.
38
Warren, 32.
39
Purdy, 1.
40
Johnson, 40.
41
H.M. Butterfield, "Introduction of Eucalyptus Into California," Madrano
3(October 1935): 149-150.
42
John A. Helms, "Introduction of the Eucalyptus to California, Their
Current Status and Future Prospects," in The International Forestry Confer-
ence for the Australian Bicentenary Proceedings of Papers Contributed and/
or Presented Held in Albany-Wodonga 25 April - 1 May 1988, vol. 3 (Mel-
bourne?: Australian Forest Development Institute, 1988), 1.
43
"Whence the Eucalyptus," California Conservationist, November 1939, 18.
44
H.M. Butterfield, "Looking Back on California Horticulture," Golden
Gardens, August 1939, 6.
45
Abbott Kinney, Eucalyptus (n.p.: B.R. Baumgardt, 1895), 6.
46
U.S. Agriculture, Eucalypts Cultivated in the United States, 18.
47
Helms, 2.
48
California State Forester, Eucalyptus, 9.
49
Butterfield, "Introduction," 153.
50
George McGillivrey, "Economic Value of the Eucalyptus," Overland
Monthly, November 1888, 451.
51
California State Board of Agriculture, "Forest Culture," in Biennial
Report for the Years 1870-1871 (Sacramento: The Board, 1871), 51.
52
Kern County Weekly Courier, 1 August 1874, p.1.
53
Ibid.
54
Purdy, 11.
55
California State Agricultural Society, "Australian," 270.
56
California State Board of Agriculture, "Hard Timber," in Biennial
Report for the Years 1870-1871 (Sacramento: The Board, 1871), 21.
57
Ibid., 22.
58
Purdy, 13-15.
59
Butterfield, "Introduction," 153.
60
University of California, Berkeley, Extension of Agricultural Sciences, 21.
61
U.S. Department of Energy, Division of Solar Technology, The
Eucalyptus Energy Farm (Washington, DC: The Division, 1978), 4-5.
62
Butterfield, "Introduction," 152.
63
Edward Pugh, "Historic Eucalyptus," Lasca Leaves 16(Autumn 1966):
86.
64
Richard Simon, "Valley Eclectic," Los Angeles Times, 15 February
1988, Metro 8.
65
Pugh, 86.
66
California State Board of Forestry, A Handbook for Eucalyptus Plan-
ters, by G.B. Lull, Circular no. 2 (Sacramento: The Board, 1907), 5.
67
Purdy, 35.
68
Purdy, 9.
69
Cooper, 20.
70
Warren, 33.
71
Cooper, 15-16.
72
Ibid., 29.
73
Ibid., 16.
74
Ibid., 30-31.
75
Ibid., 5.
76
Ibid., 13.
77
Ibid., 16.
78
Purdy, 23.
79
McGillivrey, 457.
80
Purdy, 52.
81
Ibid., 55-56.
82
Ibid., 57-63.
83
Warren, 37.
84
John Bernard McGloin, San Francisco: The Story of A City (San Rafael, CA:
Presidio Press, 1978), 159.
85
Warren, 37.
86
McClatchie, 336.
87
Clark Powell, "Eucalyptus Trees and Lost Manuscripts," California
Librarian 17(January 1956): 32.
88
Ibid.
89
California State Board of Agriculture, "Hard," 21.
90
McGillivrey, 457.
91
Ibid.
92
McClatchie, 346.
93
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, The Waning Hardwood
Supply and the Appalachian Forests, by William L. Hall (Washington, DC: GPO,
1907), 14.
94
Ibid.
95
F.D. Cornell, "As It Was -- The Eucalyptus Industry --As It Is," Griz-
zly Bear 4(April 1909): 95.
96
George Peavy, "The Eucalypts in California," California Weekly, 30
April 11-June 1909, 363.
97
Ibid., 364.
98
George B. Lull, "The Eucalyptus Situation in California," Grizzly Bear
4(March 1909): 1.
99
Ibid.
100
Ibid.
101
George B. Lull, "Better Promise for the Eucalypt," California Weekly
16 June 1909, 479.
102
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Utilization of Cali-
fornia Eucalypts, by H.S. Betts and C. Stowell Smith, Circular no. 179
(Wash-
ington, DC: GPO, 1910), 5.
103
Ibid.
104
Ibid.
105
California State Forester, 29.
106
Cornell, "As," 11.
107
Ibid.
108
Fairhead, 963.
109
California State Forester, Third Biennial Report (Sacramento: W.W.
Shannon, Superintendent State Printing, 1910), 132.
110
Ibid., 136.
111
Mahogany Eucalyptus and Land Company. Eucalyptus: Prospectus of
the Mahogany Eucalyptus and Land Company (Oakland, CA: Kelley-Davis, 1911?),
1.
112
Ibid., 25.
113
The Knave, "Eucalyptus, a Disappointment," Oakland Tribune, 10
January 1971, 9.
114
Don C. Miller, "Eucalyptus Patriarch," Westways 52(March 1960):
18.
115
Leonid Enari, "The Blue Gum," Lasca Leaves 26(March 1976): 12.
116
Ibid.
117
Miller, 18.
118
California State Forester, Third, 137.
119
Kenneth Thompson, "The Australian Fever Tree in California: Euca-
lypts and Malaria Prophylaxis," Annals of the Association of American Geo-
graphers 40(June 1970), 243.
120
Helms, 11-12.
121
Ibid., 13.
122
Ibid., 14.
123
Eric Gibson, "What's the Market for Eucalyptus," California Farmer,
16 April 1988, 45.
124
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 47.
125
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 26.
126
Ferdinand von Mueller, Eucalyptographia (Melbourne: John Ferres,
Government Printer, 1879), 3.
127
Zachrin, 10.
128
Ibid.
129
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 29.
130
California State Forester, Eucalyptus, 15.
131
California State Board of Forestry, Yield from Eucalyptus Plantations
in California, by L. Margolin, Bulletin no. 1 (Sacramento: The Board, 1910),
6.
132
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Eucalypts in Florida,
by R. Zon and J.M. Briscoe, Bulletin no. 87 (Washington, DC: The Service,
1911), 8.
133
E.N. Munns, "High Temperature and Eucalypts," Journal of Forestry 19
(1921): 30-31.
134
Kinney, 18.
135
Ibid., 33
136
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 10.
137
Kinney, 20
138
E.N. Munns, "Relative Frost Resistance of Eucalyptus in Southern Cali-
fornia," Journal of Forestry 16(1918): 418-419.
139
Ibid., 412-428.
140
Nowak, 120.
141
Thomas F. Ledig, "Improvement of Eucalypts for Fuel and Fiber in Cali-
fornia," in Biomass Production by Fast-Growing Trees, eds. J.S. Pereira and
J.J. Landsberg (New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989), 232.
142
J.K. Hasey and J.M. Connor, "Eucalyptus Shows Unexpected Cold Tol-
erance," California Agriculture 44(March-April 1990): 25-27; Barrie D.
Coate, Eucalypts for Amenity Use in California (Davis, CA: Eucalyptus Im-
provement Association, 1990), 1; Michel Boulay, "Micropropagation of
Frost-Resistant Eucalyptus," in Proceedings of a Workshop on Eucalyptus in
California, June 14-13, 1983, Sacramento, California (Berkeley: Pacific
Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, 1983), 102.
143
Sherburn R. Sanborn, "Frost Damage in Eucalyptus and Other Trees,"
Tree Notes 12(February 1991), 1.
144
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 9-10.
145
California State Board of Forestry, Yield, 6.
146
Ibid.
147
California Agricultural Experimentation Station, Tolerance of Euca-
lyptus for Alkali, by R.H. Loughridge, Bulletin no. 225 (n.p.: The
Station, 1911), 247.
148
Ibid., 252.
149
Ibid., 286-287.
150
Clarence Finch, "Agroforestry Plantings for 1990 in the Western San
Joaquin Valley," California Eucalyptus Grower 5(July 1990), 8.
151
Zachrin, 15.
152
Ibid., 7.
153
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, by Norman D. Ingham, Bul-
letin no. 196 (Sacramento: State Printer, 1908), 46.
154
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 9.
155
Kinney, 23-24.
156
Ibid., 31.
157
Ibid.
158
Ibid., 30.
159
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 44.
160
Woodbridge Metcalf, Eucalyptus Trees Serve Many Purposes (Ber-
keley: Agricultural Extension Service of California), 8.
161
Ibid., 9.
162
Ledig, "Improvement," 234-235.
163
Ibid., 237.
164
Ibid., 238-240.
165
R.M. Sachs and C.B. Low, "Yields in High Density, Short Rotation In-
tensive Culture (SRIC), in Proceedings of a Workshop on Eucalyptus in Cali-
fornia, June 14-16, 1983, Sacramento, California (Berkeley: Pacific South-
west Forest and Range Experiment Station, 1983), 71.
166
Zachrin, 15.
167
Ibid., 7.
168
Ibid.
169
California State Forester, Eucalyptus, 23.
170
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Utilization, 18.
171
Ibid., 8.
172
Ibid., 19-20.
173
Zachrin, 12; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 27.
174
McClatchie, 344.
175
Kinney, 124.
176
Zachrin, 11-12; Kinney, 124-130.
177
McClatchie, 345.
178
Hamilton, 26-28.
179
McClatchie, 344.
180
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 180.
181
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 46.
182
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 10-11.
183
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 31.
184
McGillivrey, 456.
185
California State Forester, Eucalyptus, 17.
186
Ibid., 19.
187
Warren, 38; John R. Shelly, "Utilization of California's Eucalypts,"
in Future of Eucalyptus in California (Davis: Eucalyptus Improvement
Associa-
tion, 1991), 61.
188
"Inmates Help Solve Agricultural Waste Water Problem," Business Wire, 26,
November 1991.
189
Judith Colp Rubin, "Golan's New Battle Heights' Return to Syria,"
Washington Times, 14 May 1993, A1.
190
Gregory Katz, "Town Fears Another Shootout," Dallas Morning News,
22 February 1993, A1.
191
McClatchie, 340-342.
192
B.R. Hartsough and Gary Nakamura, "Harvesting Eucalyptus for Fuel Chips,"
California Agriculture 44(January-February 1990): 7-8.
193
Leland G. Stanford, "San Diego's Eucalyptus Bubble," Journal of San
Diego History 16(Fall 1970): 12.
194
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 32-33.
195
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 37.
196
California State Forester, Third, 107.
197
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
Station, Growth of Eucalyputs in California Plantations, by W. Metcalf, Bul-
letin no. 380 (Berkeley, The Station, 1924), 40.
198
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 41.
199
Ibid., 42.
200
Ibid.
201
Dean R. Donaldson and Richard B. Standiford, "Eucalyptus Fuelwood Rate
Improves With Age," California Agriculture 38(March-April 1984): 201.
202
J.K. Hasey "Low Elevation Foothill Fuelwood Plantation," California
Agriculture 42(November-December 1988): 21-22.
203
Ken R. Wells, "Eucalyptus for Energy," American Forests 94(May-
June 1988): 59.
204
Ibid.
205
Maureen Plas, Eucalyptus Firewood: Myths and Facts (Davis, CA:
Eucalyptus Improvement Association, 1990?), 1-4.
206
Richard B. Pearce, "Eucalypts: Energy Tree of the Future," American
Forests 89(January 1983): 33.
207
Ledig, 232.
208
Hartsough, 7.
209
N.H. Pillsbury, "Wood Equations for Central Coast Blue Gum," Califor-
nia Agriculture 43(November-December 1989): 14.
210
Gibson, 46.
211
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest
Forest and Range Experiment Station, Proceedings of a Workshop on
Eucalyptus in California, June 14-16, 1983, Sacramento, California
(Berke-ley: The Station, 1983), 1.
212
Toshio Kojima, "Oil Distilled From Eucalyptus Trees," Reuters, 14
August 1980, 1.
213
Stanford, 11.
214
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
Station, Growth, 41.
215
John Moyer and Miles Merwin, "Design and Management of Eucalyptus
Windbreaks," California Eucalyptus Grower 7(April 1992): 4.
216
Metcalf, Eucalyptus Trees Serve, 10.
217
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 34.
218
Ibid., 8.
219
Ibid., 34.
220
Ibid., 35
221
Moyer, 4.
222
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 36.
223
Ibid.
224
Moyer, 4.
225
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 32.
226
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 35.
227
Lawson, 15.
228
Fairhead, 960.
229
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 42-43.
230
Metcalf, Eucalyptus Trees Serve, 6.
231
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 44.
232
Ibid.
233
California State Agricultural Society, Australasian, 126.
234
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 36.
235
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 46.
236
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 36.
237
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 45.
238
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
Station, Growth, 43.
239
California State Agricultural Society, Australasian, 127.
240
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
Station, Growth, 43.
241
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 43.
242
Cooper, 25.
243
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 43-44.
244
"Railroad Eucalyptus Plantation in Southern California for a Future
Timber Supply," American Lumberman, 15 February 1908, 33.
245
Harry W. Dunn, "One Tree to Save a State's Lumber Supply," Technical
World Magazine 9(August 1908): 702.
246
"Railroad Eucalyptus Plantation," 33.
247
Ruth M. Harmer, "The Richest Community in the World," Fortnight,
February 1956, 55.
248
Ibid., 55-56.
249
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 46.
250
Ibid.
251
California State Forester, Eucalyptus, 31.
252
W.E. Graves, Studies in Eucalyptus (St. Louis: Eucalyptus Timber
Corporation, 1910), 89.
253
Fairhead, 961.
254
Ibid., 963
255
Ibid.
256
California State Forester, Eucalyptus, 27.
257
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 48.
258
Fairhead, 961.
259
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation Station,
Growth, 41-42.
260
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 48.
261
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 31.
262
Ibid., 32.
263
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 47.
264
California State Forester, Eucalyptus, 41.
265
A.R. Penfold and J.L. Willis, The Eucalypts (New York: Interscience
Publishers, 1961), 300.
266
John W. Turnbull, "Future Uses of Eucalyptus, California Eucalyptus
Grower 7(April 1992): 6.
267
Ibid.
268
Ibid.
269
Ledig, 232-233.
270
Ibid.
271
James A. Rydelius, "Brazilian Eucalyptus Plantations Among the World's Most
Productivek," California Eucalyptus Grower 5(July 1990):
7.
272
William D. Montalbano, "Dangers of Narrowing the Field," Los Angeles
Times, 23 December 1993, A1.
273
California State Agricultural Society, "Australasian," 128.
274
McGillivrey, 454.
275
California State Agricultural Society, "Australasian," 128.
276
McGillivrey, 454.
277
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 41.
278
Kinney, 124.
279
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 41.
280
Kinney, 124.
281
Penfold, 325-326.
282
Ibid.
283
Steve Dale, "1st, Lincoln Park Zoo Finds Chow," Chicago Tribune, 9
September 1988, 6.
284
Cassy Cohen, "Los Angeles Zoo," Los Angeles Times, 12 June 1994,
B10.
285
Jeff Callegari and Keith Durand, Wild Edible Medicinal Plants of Cali-
fornia (El Cerrito, CA: The Authors, 1977), 90.
286
Kinney, 285.
287
Penfold, 246.
288
Ibid.
289
Moyer, Design, 5.
290
Kinney, 149.
291
Callegari, 90.
292
Kinney, 149.
293
Ibid.
294
Ibid., 152.
295
Ibid., 158.
296
Ibid.
297
Ibid.
298
Ibid., 135.
299
Purdy, 26.
300
California State Agricultural Society, "Australasian," 128.
301
Kinney, 149.
302
Stanford, 17-18.
303
J. Pearn, "The Enchanted Herb," Medical Journal of Australia 147
(7-21 December 1987): 569-570.
304
Kinney, 61.
305
F.G. Plummer, "The Growing of Eucalypts With Detailed Bibliography,"
in Proceedings of the Society of American Foresters, vol. 5 (Washington, DC:
Society of American Foresters, 1907), 117.
306
Cooper, 22.
307
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 40.
308
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 34.
309
Turnbull, 7.
310
Moyer, Design, 4.
311
Weil Martin, "Oil Leak Disrupts Dulles," Washington Post, 29 February
1992, B4.
312
Kathleen Doheny, "Not in My Back Yard," Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan-
uary 1990, E1.
313
Judith Schoolman, "Products -- Everything Old Is New Again," Reuters
Business Report, 25 January 1994.
314
Harold Farnsworth Gray and Russel E. Fontaine, "A History of Malaria
in California," in Proceedings and Papers of the Twenty-fifth Annual Confer-
ence of the Mosquito Control Association, January 21-23 1957, San Jose,
California (Turlock, CA: The Association, 1957), 28.
315
Ibid.
316
Ibid., 31.
317
Ibid.
318
"Eucalyptus Globulus: Its Use in Improving the Salubrity of Marshy
and Malarial Districts," California Horticulturalist and Floral Magazine,
January 1874, 16.
319
Ibid.
320
Ibid.
321
Cooper, 22.
322
J. Bosisto, "Is the Eucalyptus a Fever-Destroying Tree?" in the Tranactions
and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria (Melbourne:
The Society, 1876), 10.
323
Ibid., 11.
324
Ibid., 12.
325
Ibid., 21.
326
Ibid., 23.
327
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 43.
328
Thompson, Australian, 237.
329
Ibid., 238-239.
330
Kinney, 131.
331
Ibid., 132.
332
Ibid., 143.
333
Thompson, Australian, 242.
334
Ibid.
335
Ibid.
336
J. Gifford, "The Eucalyptus in the Tropics," The Forester 6(January
1900): 11.
337
Thompson, Australian, 239.
338
Kinney, 24.
339
Metcalf, Eucalyptus Trees Serve, 6.
340
Ralph L. Carhart, "Planting and Maintenance of Eucalyptus Along
California Highways," paper presented at The Future of Eucalyptus in
California, 9 May 1991, Sacramento, California, 3.
341
Ibid.
342
California State Forester, Fifth Biennial Report (Sacramento: State
Printing Office, 1914), 342.
343
Carhart, 4.
344
Ibid.
345
Ibid., 8.
346
California Department of Transportation, Evaluation of New Species
of Drought Tolerant Plants for Highways (Sacramento: The Department, 1981),
4-5.
347
U.S. Congress, House, Committee on Agriculture, Emergency Eucalyp-
tus Assistance, report, 93rd Cong., 1st sess., 1973, 1.
348
Australia, Forestry and Timber Bureau, Control Burning in Eucalypt
Forests, by A.G. McArthur, Leaflet no. 80 (Canberra: The Bureau, 1962), 1.
349
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 46.
350
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Planting Leaf-
let -- Eucalyptus, Circular no. 59 (Washington, DC: The Service, 1907), 4.
351
Ibid., 10.
352
U.S. Congress, House, Committee on Agriculture, Predisaster Assis-
tance for Eucalyptus Tree Fire Hazard: Hearing before the Committee on
Agriculture, 93rd Cong., 1st sess., 29 May 1973, 10.
353
Nowak, 112.
354
California State Board of Forestry, Ninth Biennial Report (Sacra-
mento: The Board, 1923), 45.
355
U.S. Congress, House, Committee on Agriculture, Predisaster, 10.
356
Ibid., 3.
357
Ibid., 7.
358
"E. Bay Eucalyptus Crisis," Sacramento Bee, 3 March 1973, A6.
359
Nancy Dooley, "Astounding Cost of the Dead Eucalyptus," San Fran-
cisco Chronicle, 22 July 1973, 5.
360
James Brachman, "How Many Trees Are Dead? San Francisco Chron-
icle, 29 April 1973, World 18.
361
Lance Williams, "Eucalyptus Trees Getting Blamed for East Bay Fire,"
San Francisco Chronicle, 22 December 1991, B1.
362
Ibid.
363
Ibid., B4.
364
Joseph F. Williamson, "Oakland Fire, One Year Later: 'Don't Blame the
Eucalyptus.'" California Eucalyptus Grower 7(October 1992): 1.
365
Michael Perry, "Sydney Bushfires Fuelled By Exploding Eucalyptus,"
Reuters World Service, 10 January 1994.
366
Ibid.
367
Australia, Forest and Timber Bureau, 1.
368
Jonathan Kirsch, "Explosive Prose Propels Tome About Fire," Los
Angeles Times, 30 January 1991, E1.
369
"East Bay Fire," Los Angeles Times, 18 October 1991, A1.
370
Brad Bonhall, "Pests Pack a Punch fo Dry Plants," Los Angeles Times,
4 August 1992, E1.
371
G.T. Scriven, "Beetle From Australia Threatens Eucalyptus," Califor-
nia Agriculture 40(July-August 1986): 4.
372
Elliot Diringer, "Beetle Threatens State's Eucalyptus," San Francisco
Chronicle, 9 June 1986, 1.
373
Scriven, 6.
374
Nancy Ray, "Scientists Muster Army to Combat Beetles Threatening
Southland's Eucalyptus Trees," Los Angeles Times, 11 October 1987, Metro 17.
375
John M. Glionna, "Wasps Get Job of Saving Eucalyptus From Beetles,
Los Angeles Times, 17 July 1991, B1.
376
Scriven, 6.
377
Glionna, B1.
378
Ibid.
379
Bonhall, E1.
380
Robert Chow, "Longhorn Borer Beetle Found in the Bay Area," Los
Angeles Times, 25 March 1989, 19.
381
Scriven, 4.
382
Chow, 19.
383
Dave Lesher, "State-County Tree Pest Battle Gets a Mite Confusing,"
Los Angeles Times, 29 December 1987, Metro 3.
384
Ray, Metro 17.
385
Chow, 19.
386
Diringer, 1.
387
Glionna, B1.
388
"DWP Announces Plans to Fell Trees Infested By Eucalyptus Beetle,"
PR Newswire, 26 April 1989.
389
Bonhall, E1.
390
Ray, Metro 17.
391
"Researchers Pit Alien Wasp Against a Beetle," New York Times,
27 September 1988, C4.
392
Bonhall, E1.
393
Dana Nichols, "Eucalyptus Lovers Take On State Over Cutting Plan,"
Los Angeles Times, 10 October 1987, 3.
394
Maura Thurman, "Angel Island Trees Being Cut to Restore Park Eco-
logy, Gannett News Service, 18 September 1990.
395
Dale Champion, "Angel Island Eucalyptus Facing the Logger's Ax,"
San Francisco Chronicle, 9 September 1987, A2.
396
Charles Petit, "Some in Berkeley Want to Rid Hills of Eucalyptus,
Monterey Pine," San Francisco Chronicle, 23 October 1991, A19.
397
Dale Champion, "Angel Island Eucalyptus to Be Spared," San Fran-
cisco Chronicle, 12 September 1987, 2.
398
Kathleen Williams, "Outdoors / Monarch Butterflies," Los Angeles
Times, 21 January 1993, J14.
399
Walter E. Westman, "Managing for Biodiversity," BioScience 40
(January 1990): 26.
400
Thurman.
401
Paul Larmer, "Under the Spreading Eucalyptus," Christian Science
Monitor, 14 April 1987, 25.
402
Champion, "Angel Island Eucalyptus to Be Spared," 2.
403
Ibid.
404
Champion, "Angel Island Eucalyptus Facing the Loggers' Ax," A2.
405
Nichols, 3.
406
Ibid.
407
Ibid.
408
Dale Champion, "A Plan to Chop Marin Eucalyptuses," San Francisco
Chronicle, 8 March 1986, 3.
409
Dale Champion, "Public Hearing on Eucalyptus Removal," San Francisco
Chronicle, 14 October 1986, 41.
410
"Park Service Details Plan for Cutting Eucalyptus," San Francisco
Chronicle, 21 May 1986, 3.
411
"Eucalyptus Trees Cut in California," United Press International,
9 October 1982.
412
"Federal Highway Administration Reverses Policy on Legal Tree
Cutting in Front of Billboards," U.S. Newswire, 8 June 1990.
413
"Still Up a Tree," Modesto Bee, 24 February 1993, B4.
414
Jennifer Warren, "California Album; Out on a Limb," Los Angeles
Times, 24 February 1993, A3.
415
L.A. Chung, "2 Trees Attend Hearing," San Francisco Chronicle, 19
March 1985, 3.
416
"Historical Trees May Be Spared," San Francisco Chronicle, 23 May
1969, 27.
417
"A Job Well Done," Los Angeles Times, 8 March 1987, Metro 2.
418
Nancy Ray, "Battle of Ramona Can Save Only a Few Oaks," Los AnGeles Times, 26
August 1990, D10.
419
"U. of the Pacific Cuts Big Trees," Chronicle of Higher Education, 28
September 1994, A7.
420
Majorie Sun, "When Trees Can Be Pest," Far Eastern Economic Re- view, 14
March 1991, 66.
421
William D. Montalbano, "Environment; On Iberian Peninsula," Los
Angeles Times, 4 December 1990, H2.
422
Ibid.
423
Ibid.
424
U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, The Ecological Effects of Eu-
calyptus, by M.E.D. Poore and C. Fries. (Rome: FAO, 1985), 55.
425
Kinney, 168.
426
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 14.
427
Ibid., 14-15.
428
Kinney, 168.
429
Cooper, 28.
430
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 46.
431
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension, Eucalyptus in California, 37.
432
Ibid., 38.
433
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 16-17.
434
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 32.
435
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 12.
436
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 39.
437
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
Station, Growth, 13.
438
Kinney, 168.
439
Cooper, 27.
440
Kinney, 172-173.
441
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 19.
442
Cooper, 27.
443
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 17.
444
Ibid., 41.
445
Cooper, 29.
446
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 37.
447
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 41.
448
California Board of Forestry, Handbook, 18.
449
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, 48.
450
California State Board of Forestry, Yield, 7.
451
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 20.
452
Kinney, 172.
453
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 41.
454
California State Board of Forestry, Yield, 8.
455
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 20.
456
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 43-44.
457
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 20.
458
Cooper, 20.
459
Dunn, 702.
460
Cooper, 20.
461
Kinney, 50-51.
462
Ibid., 51.
463
Ibid., 119.
464
"Trees That Captured California," Sunset, August 1956, 48.
465
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
Station, Report of Work of the Agricultural Experimentation Station of the
University of California from June 30, 1901, to June 30, 1903 (Sacramento:
W.W. Shannon, Superintendent of State Printing, 1903), 143.
466
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 40.
467
Dunn, 697.
468
Ibid., 700.
469
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 40.
470
Ibid., 37.
471
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 55.
472
California State Forester, Eucalyptus, 50.
473
Ibid.
474
Ibid., 92.
475
Graves, 34.
476
Ibid., 64.
477
California State Board of Forestry, Yield, 12-14.
478
Ibid.
479
California State Forester, Sixth Biennial Report (Sacramento: Cali-
fornia State Printing Office, 1916), 45.
480
"Trees That Captured California," 48.
481
Ibid.
482
Ibid.
483
McGloin, 159.
484
"Trees That Captured California," 48-49.
485
Ibid., 49.
486
The Knave, "Eucalyptus Has Served California Faithfully," Oakland
Tribune, 28 August 1966, 30-31.
487
Enari, 14.
488
California Department of Transportation, Buildings and Bridges (Sacramento:
The Department, 1993), 10.
489
Donald R. Hodel, Exceptional Trees of Los Angeles, Los Angeles:
California Arboretum Foundation, 1988, 30.
490
Ibid., 33.
491
Ibid., 34.
492
Clarence Finch, "Agroforestry Plantings for 1990 in the Western San
Joaquin Valley, California Eucalyptus Grower 5(July 1990): 8.
493
"Eucalyptus Tree Grower Buys Delano Property," Los Angeles Times,
17 March 1985, Real Estate 8.
494
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research
Station, Hardwoods of California's Timberlands, Woodlands, and Savannas, by
Charles L. Bolsinger (Portland, OR: The Station, 1988), 13.
495
Cooper, 29.
496
McGillivrey, 496.
497
Ibid., 496-497.
498
California State Agricultural Society, Australasian, 120.
499
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 31.
500
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 37.
501
Ibid., 46.
502
Graves, 36.
503
Ibid., 91.
504
Ibid., 61.
505
Ibid., 62.
506
Ibid., 64.
507
Fairhead, 963.
508
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Yield and Returns of
Blue Gum in California, by T.D. Woodbury, Circular no. 210 (Washington, DC:
The Service, 1912), 7.
509
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
Station, Growth, 40.
510
Ibid., 57.
511
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Planting, 11.
512
Karen Klonsky, "Economic Feasibility of Eucalyptus Production," Cali-
fornia Agriculture 42(November-December 1988), 27.
513
Stan Kelly, Eucalypts, Rev. ed. (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1983): 31.
514
Zachrin, 10.
515
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 6.
516
Metcalf, Eucalyptus Trees Around the World, 32.
517
Zachrin, 17.
518
California State Board of Forestry, Handbook, 6.
519
University of California, Berkeley, College of Agriculture, Agricul-
tural Extension Service, Eucalyptus in California, 30.
520
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
Station, Growth, 25.
521
Linda Fieldman, "For Seniors; Octogenarian Toils to Plant Seeds of
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522
California State Agricultural Society, "The Eucalyptus," in Trans-
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523
McGillivrey, 452.
524
Cooper, 31.
525
Elizabeth McClintock, "Trees of Golden Gate Park -- 21 (Gums and
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526
Ibid., 25.
527
University of California, Berkeley, Extension of Agricultural Ser-
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528
Dunn, 699.
529
Kinney, 250.
530
Ledig, 237.
531
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
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532
Kinney, 44.
533
University of California, Berkeley, Extension of Agricultural Ser-
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534
Dunn, 699.
535
McClintock, 27.
536
University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
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537
California State Board of Agriculture, Shade and Ornamental Trees
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University of California, Berkeley, Agricultural Experimentation
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539
McClintock, 24.
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