Trees Vs. Water

Trees vs. Water?

 With the current state of California water restrictions some people have chosen to go for  “the easy fix”, tearing out their lawns and turning off the tap on their landscaping. Beware, this is not a wise solution and can kill your mature trees and only add to the desertification and the hostility of our urban environment. 

Without a mature tree canopy Ojai will roast under the increasingly hot California sunshine. A relatively dry area of land like Ojai can become increasingly arid, losing its seasonal bodies of water, vegetation and wildlife. Help avoid this by watering and maintaining your trees. 

It’s true lawns can be a water and fertilizer glutton. Use lawns sparingly or replace them entirely with drought-resistant and native species plantings surrounded by gravel or mulch. If you have to have  your “small patch of green”  use it where it extends your living area and serves a recreational purpose, nowhere else. Consider alternative grasses and other climate appropriate plant material that can function as a lawn or low meadow and require less water and less or no mowing. Save that water and effort for your trees, without the shade “umbrella” a tree provides even drought tolerant natives can suffer. They are your yards biggest asset and provide a “heat shield” for other plantings surrounding your home.

Trees:

1. improve air quality by filtering out pollutants and sequestering carbon dioxide from the air.

2.  hold water in their leaves and roots releasing it slowly throughout the day lowering the surrounding temperature by as much as 20 degrees during our long hot summers. 

3. their  canopy’s protect us from the heat of the sun and make our streets more walk-able encouraging pedestrian travel over automobile use.
4. provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

5. help prevent wind erosion by acting as buffers.

6. and when the rains do come they prevent run-off, soil erosion, and boost water retention.

Extreme weather events are occurring but we cannot afford to let our trees suffer and fall victim to unwise watering choices that will only exacerbate the problem.

To find out more check out our tree care page at ojaitrees.org