Save Our Trees: Don’t Move Firewood!

Here in Ojai, we live in a remnant oak forest and our oak trees sometimes need to be pruned or removed for safety reasons. A common dilemma is what to do with the large pieces of wood that are left after pruning. Oak is excellent firewood and there is high demand for good firewood. But oaks also are being attacked by some pretty nasty pests which can kill them. Sycamore trees also may harbor some of these pests. Obviously if you burn the wood the pests will perish. But what about in the meantime?

As we mourn the loss of close to 400 decades-old trees from our local parks, at least there’s this good news: there's a lot we can do to protect the big trees that still live in our midst. Nothing will ever bring back those majestic trees, and no matter how many new trees are planted in their place, it will still take decades to recover the beauty, sustenance and shade they so generously provided to humans and animals alike. But at least this tragedy can be a spur to do the right thing for the mature trees we already have.

What do oak trees and wine have in common? A lot it turns out.

The Cork oak tree traditionally was “farmed” and to this day continues to provide corks for the wine industry. A medium-sized evergreen oak that is native to the central and western Mediterranean region also grows well here in Ojai.

Since we were founded in 2008 by Ojai landscape architect and visionary Tom Bostrom, the all-volunteer Ojai Trees has planted 1,945 trees, gracing yards, streets, schools and parks throughout the Valley.

What does this accomplishment mean?