Did you know that there is an actual tree named ‘El Palo Alto’ (“the tall stick” in Spanish), which is the namesake of the city? It’s a magnificent redwood that lives at El Palo Alto Park near downtown. (author’s note: I did not know about the El Palo Alto before writing this article!)
Palo Alto’s beautiful trees need protection during the drought. Image courtesy of Leslie Woods
But the majestic El Palo Alto, along with the many coastal redwoods and over 36,000 trees in Palo Alto’s treasured ‘urban canopy,’ may be in peril due to California’s drought, and strict state and locally-mandated reductions on water usage.
Enter Canopy, a Palo Alto nonprofit with a long history of tree preservation
Fortunately, Palo Alto has an invaluable resource called Canopy that has been working hard to save local trees and educate residents about how to preserve the urban forest since 1996.
Canopy has a mission to, “bring the life-giving benefits of trees to the schools, neighborhoods, and public spaces of the San Francisco Mid-Peninsula.” During this time of water crisis, Canopy is taking a leadership role in educating homeowners and all Palo Alto residents about how to ensure the health of the trees in their backyards and neighborhoods.
Canopy has a simple message for Palo Alto as drought persists: to save water, save the trees
Canopy’s Executive Director Catherine Martineau stresses the need to focus on tree health during California’s severe drought. “Trees are the most valuable element of the landscape, and that it is a wise investment to use some water to ensure that our trees stay healthy during this drought. Canopy has communicated this message to the City of Palo Alto’s staff and commissions, and we jointly produced a brochure that gives Palo Alto tips for how to preserve trees and conserve water.”
The bottomline is simple, as Martineau explained, “Save our water AND our trees – we can do both! All it takes is a good soak, once or twice a month, to keep trees healthy.”
5 Steps to preserve tree health and conserve water from Canopy.org
- Know your trees, know their needs: Different trees have different water and care requirements. Check your tree’s age, species, soil type and more to know how much water it needs.
- Water wisely: Assess water needs by checking soil moisture, and if trees need hydration, water slowly and evenly, by hand if possible. Note: Lawn irrigation doesn’t water trees well because it reaches only the first few inches of soil.
- Mulch to conserve moisture: Use wood chips or other organic matter, spread evenly and beware the mulch volcano!
- Conserve water throughout the landscape: Letting your lawn go brown is a great way to conserve water, but take care of the trees in your yard and help them transition to the lack of regular water.
- Plant the right tree in the right place: Planting trees is even more important during a drought as they help preserve water and reduce the need for irrigation.
One of the best ways to water a tree is with a hose. Photo by Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group, courtesy of Mercury News.
Want to learn more? Download a printable brochure from Canopy here, or watch a video from ABC News.
And a warning: recycled water is good for landscaping, but NOT good for trees
“The City of Palo Alto seems to be encouraging residents to apply for permits to obtain recycled water for irrigation,” said Martineau. “While this is a good way to conserve and reuse, the problem in Palo Alto is that the salt content in recycled water is higher than what is approved for watering trees. As a result this approach could be detrimental to tree health.”
Canopy urges residents to learn about the risks of using recycled water for their trees, and work with landscapers to find the right solution for irrigation.
Canopy’s education programs spread the love of trees
Since Canopy’s founding, the organization has facilitated the planting of almost 4,000 trees, and 800 of which were placed in local schools. In 2014 alone, thanks to Canopy, 385 trees were planted, 2,086 young trees were cared for by 1007 volunteers, and 2,517 kids were taught by the various in-school programs.
photo courtesy of Canopy
After 10 years of urban tree advocacy in Palo Alto, Canopy reached out to under-served communities in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park and has also expanded its school and park planting programs to Mountain View and Redwood City, where trees are sorely needed.
Maika Horjus, Canopy’s Communications and Outreach Manager, explained how school programs help spread the love of trees to the next generation, saying, “The intent is to instill a strong connection and sense of stewardship for the young kids who help care and plant the trees.”
Engaging youth as leaders in the effort
At a spring ‘Tree Planting’ event at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in East Palo Alto, several Boy Scouts and local community members put on their gloves and dug holes for newly-planted young trees, assisted by Natalia Schoorl, Canopy’s Tree Care and Education Manager.
Canopy volunteers and staff at tree planting event at Cesar Chavez. Photo by Aisha Piracha.
Canopy’s Teen Urban Foresters, including Diamond Allen, also helped lead the event. “Canopy’s sense of community and networking keeps me coming back and motivated, and it’s fun to help your surrounding communities,” he said. “Canopy has also given me the ability to experience working at a young age.”
Canopy’s committed volunteers help protect trees and educate the community
Michael Hawkins, Canopy’s Program Director for Tree Care and Education, described how community volunteers play a vital role in tree care and planting. “Canopy works in close partnership with the City of Palo Alto, especially through its Young Tree Care Survey program, which identifies trees which may be in peril or ill-health. This program is led by volunteers who comb through Palo Alto neighborhoods to survey the health of hundreds of young street trees, and then report back to the City and work to restore the trees’ health.”
Canopy also offers tree walks on the second Saturday of every month from 10am-12pm, where people can travel Palo Alto’s neighborhoods to learn about trees and how to best care for them. (Visit the Canopy website to learn more).
DID TREES ALTER THE COURSE OF BAY AREA HISTORY? When Gaspar de Portolà led his expedition of 63 men and 200 horses from San Diego up the coast in November 1769, he overshot Monterey and they ended up camping at the banks of the San Francisquito Creek, where the El Palo Alto and other redwoods gave them shelter. If the trees were not there, would de Portola have kept moving on?
Like the Lorax, Canopy speaks for the trees…
El Palo Alto long ago. Photo courtesy of Caltrain.
Palo Alto’s trees are an essential part of the community, not just for their aesthetic beauty and shade, but also due to their impact on the local air, climate and ecosystem.
El Palo Alto in 2004. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
Maika, Canopy’s Outreach Manager, sums it up, saying, “The big message simply is: Trees are an essential part of our green infrastructure and it’s really important to keep them healthy during the drought. Unlike your lawn or perennials, a tree can’t just grow back after a drought, so make sure to care for your trees and don’t forget to water them!”
To learn more about Canopy, volunteer to support trees in Palo Alto or make a donation, visit www.canopy.org.
A tree walk by Canopy. Photo courtesy of Canopy.
