Why 3 small “replacement” trees can’t replace
an ecosystem
The cornerstone of UC Berkeley’s PR spin on the oaks is to talk about replacing each destroyed tree with three small saplings. But the Memorial Oak Grove is a complex Coast Live Oak ecosystem. Killing the existing trees would decimate that established ecosystem.
Furthermore, careful analysis of the “3 for 1” replacement scheme reveals how totally in-effective the replacement proposal is. For instance, large Oak trees can have tens of thousands of leaves in their canopy habitat area, while UC’s small replacement saplings would typically only have 50 to 100 leaves. These native oaks can provide habitat for hundreds of animal and insect species. So just in terms of the Biomass of a tree that provides habitat, three small trees is nowhere near as valuable as one mature oak.
3 to1 UPDATE -
UC recently revealed, that in fact, they do not even intend to replace the oaks 3 to 1. At a UC regents meeting, chancellor Ed Denton disclosed that UC would only replant with 25% native oaks. This is yet another example of the university saying one thing in public and then doing another.
It is also important to remember that many of the “replacement” saplings will not survive. It is typical for a third of the “replacement” trees to die within a year or two of being planted.
Native California Oak woodlands are a crucial component of our natural environment, supporting higher levels of bio-diversity than any other terrestrial ecosystem in California. Over 300 vertebrates and thousands of other plant and insect species depend on California Oak woodland ecosystems for their survival.
Current
UC Continues to Ignore Berkeley Environmental Law that Protects Native Oaks
Coast Live Oaks are the primary woodland ecosystem of the east bay and a central part of what defines our region. In fact these native trees are so important that several years ago Berkeley passed a law forbidding their destruction. Under the law, which is called the Berkeley Coast Live Oak Moratorium, it is illegal to cut down any mature Coast Live Oak within the Berkeley city limits which measures over six inches in diameter at chest height.
Every one of the 38 threatened oaks in the Memorial Grove should be protected from destruction under the Berkeley moratorium, but the University has stated that because UC is part of state government, they are “not obliged to obey local environmental laws.”
Stadium & Oak Grove Landscape Are Named National Historic Site
4 Lawsuits Challenge UC Berkeley Expansion Plans
Four lawsuits have been filed in Alameda Superior Court challenging the Environmental Impact Report for the University’s Southeast Campus Integrated Projects. The lawsuits are based on the California Environmental Quality Act and the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act.
Plaintiffs are - an Oaks coalition led by the California Oak Foundation - the City of Berkeley - the Panoramic Hill Association - and the Save Tightwad Hill group.
Saving the Memorial Oak Grove is supported by the Sierra Club, the California Native Plant Society, the California Oak Foundation, and activist Julia Butterfly Hill.
Oak Grove Support
Civic Leaders Join Oaks Protest!
Three of the most respected and enduring civic leaders in the city of Berkeley took to the trees on Monday morning in support of the ongoing Memorial Oak Grove protest.
City Council member Betty Olds, 86.
&
Legendary Bay Area Conservationist Sylvia McLaughlin, 90, spoke to supporters and press from a tree-sit platform high in Memorial Grove.
In 1961 Sylvia McLaughlin joined forces with Kay Kerr (wife of UC Chancellor Clark Kerr) and Ester Gullick to form Save The Bay. Save the Bay stopped the devastating process of landfill around the bay and is universally recognized as the pioneering grass-roots environmental movement of the 1960s in California.
McLaughlin’s own history is deeply connected with UC Berkeley. Her late husband Donald McLaughlin was the Dean of the College of Engineering, a long time UC Regent and close friend of Chancellor Clark Kerr. In 1955 the UC regents created the first oversight committee on Campus Planning for Berkeley, chaired by Donald McLaughlin. Other members of that committee were Clark Kerr and William Wurster, Dean of the College of Architecture. It was under Donald McLaughlin’s leadership that the very first Long Range Development Plan for the Berkeley campus was drafted in 1956.
Photo: Daniella Thompson
Check Out the 24 Hour Community Tree-Sit
@ Flickr.com
Native Burial Site
At Stadium and Grove
Documents Revealed
In a dramatic turn of events, documents have been uncovered which show that human remains, likely Native American, were discovered around the Memorial Oak Grove in 1923. After the below article was written it was further discovered that 18 burials were found during the Memorial Stadium excavation.
Watch YouTube
Oak Grove Coverage
by BerkeleyCitizen Video
UC Police arrest supporters attempting to supply food to tree-sitters
Memorial Oak Grove Facts:
Why is the Memorial Oak Grove important?
The Memorial Grove is a native Coast Live Oak ecosystem. Native oaks support the most complex terrestrial ecosystems in California. The California Native Plant Society CNPS has stated that the Memorial Oak Grove is “an important gene bank for the Coast Live Oak.”
Every one of the 38 oaks in the grove should be protect by law - the Berkeley Coast Live Oak moratorium forbids cutting mature Coast Live Oaks in Berkeley, but UC refuses to recognize the law.
The grove is part of a National Historic Site. The Stadium and landscape are a memorial to Californians who died in World War I. It was also recently revealed that 18 Native American burials were discovered under the stadium in 1923.
Saving the Memorial Grove is supported by The Sierra Club, The California Native Plant Society, The California Oak Foundation and Julia Butterfly Hill.
How many oaks does UC want to cut down?
UC’s wants to cut down 38 mature Coast Live Oaks - the university keeps on saying they will cut 26 oaks but a simple count in the grove adds up to 38. Additionally a number of other specimen trees including California Bay Laurel, Redwood and Sequoia.
UC says they will replace the trees 3 to 1, won’t we end up with more trees at the grove?
No. There simply would not be enough room to plant the oak trees UC claims they would plant in what little space would be left at the grove. The University wants to dig out 2/3 of the grove for a massive cement building. It would be physically impossible for them to cram 3 to 1 oak trees into one third the space. Oak trees need space to grow for their canopy and the small space that would be left could never support all those extra trees long term. UC might plant trees in other parts of campus, but they would destroy the existing grove.
But doesn’t UC say it’s OK to cut the trees down because they say they planted them?
That is a PR spin. First and foremost the Oak Grove is ecologically and historically important no matter who “planted” the trees.
The main problem with UCs argument is that many of the oak trees in the grove planted themselves after the stadium was built! Because the grove is a thriving ecosystem that is replanting itself. The California Native Plant Society says,
“The Oaks are well established and signs of recruitment (naturally re-seeded oak trees) are present at this site.”b
bAt least 5 Coast Live Oaks and a native Bay Laurel predate the stadium. The image below is a historic oak from the 1800s that predates the University itself.
This historic oak from the 1800s would be destroyed
When the University built the stadium in the 1920s they planted many additional oaks in the Memorial Grove. But even more important many of the oaks in the grove planted themselves as the grove continues to reseed itself to this day! Thats what makes it an ecosystem NOT a “landscaping project”.
Do they need to cut down the oaks because the stadium is unsafe?
UC is claiming that they must build a training facility at the oak grove to move people out of Memorial Stadium. But that is simply not true, in fact UC already has the ability to move people out of the stadium before building a new facility. Lets look at the facts.
• The Stadium is directly on top of the Hayward Fault, it is VERY dangerous.
• UC has a campus program called SURGE which is dedicated to transferring people out of dangerous buildings during earthquake retrofits and new construction. The SURGE program utilizes tens of thousands of square feet of space and also routinely uses portable temporary buildings. UC could begin moving people into safer conditions next week, if safety was the real priority.
• Meanwhile even if they began building the training facility tomorrow it would still take at least two years to build. All that time students and staff would still be inside the stadium. UC should stop messing around and move the people who are inside the stadium to safety, right now.
• In 1979 UCs Seismic Committee told UC not to build offices inside the stadium until it was retrofitted - the University ignored that warning and has left the people inside the stadium in extremely dangerous conditions for almost 30 years.
RAYMOND L. SHEARMAN
CORNELIUS SULLIVAN
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HOWARD F. LACY
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MARIO MASCHIO
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LLOYD P. MACDONALD
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BIRT ADAMS
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RUSSELL L. GARDNER
FRANCIS R. SCOTT
DANIEL K. IOPA
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FRANK H.LATHRAPJR.
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