Palmless California has begun

Our banana plants can get quite large around here, and they take on the appearance of being Palms. ..but they require more care than any palms.
Had about 6-8 of them in our backyard. They grew to 12-15’ tall and had bananas every year.


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We spend winters in the Coachella Valley in southern California. Palm trees are used in landscaping everywhere. Water doesn't seem to be a big problem as there is a huge aquifer under the valley. I haven't seen tree replacement going on but maybe I just didn't notice it. I will look for it now.

There are a lot of wild palm trees too. We live about a mile from the San Andreas fault and as you drive through the desert you can sometimes tell where the fault is because there is a line of Palm trees growing along it. Or there is an oasis surrounded by them.There is water in the fault and they can get huge. They do love water.

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The fault at Thousand Palms oasis
 
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IrishEyes said:
I think I dislike them now after I posted this thread, I love a good pine or Blue Spruce best
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Well, I noticed there was a lot of flack over a statement about the "weed family," even after you were careful to retract or modify. Unfortunately, that happens often in forums, and has happened to me too.

I'm really impartial to palms except for the dim reminder they bring of my youth.

This statement will probably go over like a lead balloon, but I don't want any trees on my property, and the few I did have were removed. Trees cost me money to trim and maintain. I have a number of ornamental hedges, none of which are allowed to grow as tall as the house, and I'm able to trim those myself.

I was told my electric bill would increase once any shade trees were removed. That was several summers ago, and I never saw any increase in the number of hours I use on my electric bill.
 

MoBeans said:
We spend winters in the Coachella Valley in southern California. Palm trees are used in landscaping everywhere. Water doesn't seem to be a big problem as there is a huge aquifer under the valley. I haven't seen tree replacement going on but maybe I just didn't notice it. I will look for it now.

There are a lot of wild palm trees too. We live about a mile from the San Andreas fault and as you drive through the desert you can sometimes tell where the fault is because there is a line of Palm trees growing along it. Or there is an oasis surrounded by them.There is water in the fault and they can get huge. They do love water.

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The fault at Thousand Palms oasis
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I don't know if all palms will be ripped out everywhere but I had to wonder with a touch of amusement.. if that happens what are they going to call Palm Springs and 29 Palms if they do?
 
Jules said:
For me going to a place with palm trees is synonymous with hot weather. I love that for my vacation destination.
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I have hoards of Oak and Sycamore where I am now and I tell you come fall... I am NOT loving them very much.
If I had a penny a leaf I have to mulch, I would not have to worry the rest of my life.
 
OldFeller said:
Is there anything on the internet that you can link that explains the overall plan of tree replacement? It might be helpful to know the reasons.
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It's California, can you be sure the you get all the reasons from there? I did look up some things and of course I read conflicting stories over many of it. So after the weed issue I am not about to post some story and have someone else dig up one that says the opposite of mine.. 😁 Learned my lesson. I was going on what my son told me with the reasons his boss gave him to begin the cut downs.
 
An article from 2023 talks about the benefits of shade providing trees.

"Trees provide myriad benefits. They capture stormwater runoff, replenish groundwater and slow the deterioration of streets. They clean the air and improve mental health. And increasingly during deadlier and record-breaking heat waves — shade trees cool air and surfaces of the built environment, and can reduce energy consumption for air conditioning by up to 30%. One study by the UCLA Luskin Center found that shade can reduce heat stress in the human body from 25% to 30% throughout the day."

https://www.preventionweb.net/news/...d-more-shade-it-time-finally-ditch-palm-trees
 
OldFeller said:
An article from 2023 talks about the benefits of shade providing trees.

"Trees provide myriad benefits. They capture stormwater runoff, replenish groundwater and slow the deterioration of streets. They clean the air and improve mental health. And increasingly during deadlier and record-breaking heat waves — shade trees cool air and surfaces of the built environment, and can reduce energy consumption for air conditioning by up to 30%. One study by the UCLA Luskin Center found that shade can reduce heat stress in the human body from 25% to 30% throughout the day."

https://www.preventionweb.net/news/...d-more-shade-it-time-finally-ditch-palm-trees
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They have a lot of homeless there, so the shade will sure be a benefit to them I am sure
 
OldFeller said:
An article from 2023 talks about the benefits of shade providing trees.

"Trees provide myriad benefits. They capture stormwater runoff, replenish groundwater and slow the deterioration of streets. They clean the air and improve mental health. And increasingly during deadlier and record-breaking heat waves — shade trees cool air and surfaces of the built environment, and can reduce energy consumption for air conditioning by up to 30%. One study by the UCLA Luskin Center found that shade can reduce heat stress in the human body from 25% to 30% throughout the day."

https://www.preventionweb.net/news/...d-more-shade-it-time-finally-ditch-palm-trees
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Yes, Oldfeller, I looked at the data, and where it said "[trees] can reduce energy consumption for air conditioning by up to 30%." That sounds plausibile, but I have my electric bills, and I did not experience any reduction. I go by the number of kwh used, not the price, since electric rates change over time.

Somewhere in my older records I also have my plumbing bill where I paid for a water line replacement when my Bradford Pear tree roots grew into and clogged my PVC pipe when I used to live in Dallas. Not only did the line need replacing, but the tree died anyway the following year, so there was the added expense of removing it.

And, "shade can reduce heat stress in the human body." Yes, that I agree with. Texas summers can be intolerable, so most of my time is spent indoors, but if I want to go outside, I have a huge covered patio right off my bedroom that provides all the shade and privacy I need.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
Yes, Oldfeller, I looked at the data, and where it said "[trees] can reduce energy consumption for air conditioning by up to 30%." That sounds plausibile, but I have my electric bills, and I did not experience any reduction. I go by the number of kwh used, not the price, since electric rates change over time.

Somewhere in my older records I also have my plumbing bill where I paid for a water line replacement when my Bradford Pear tree roots grew into and clogged my PVC pipe when I used to live in Dallas. Not only did the line need replacing, but the tree died anyway the following year, so there was the added expense of removing it.

And, "shade can reduce heat stress in the human body." Yes, that I agree with. Texas summers can be intolerable, so most of my time is spent indoors, but if I want to go outside, I have a huge covered patio right off my bedroom that provides all the shade and privacy I need.
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Believe me I understand. But whoever wrote the article is trying to persuade people that the tree replacement is a good idea.

All public improvement projects provide work and that's what politicians are lobbied to do.
 
OldFeller said:
Believe me I understand. But whoever wrote the article is trying to persuade people that the tree replacement is a good idea.

All public improvement projects provide work and that's what politicians are lobbied to do.
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I didn't mean to seem thoughtless. I should have tempered my response, but it's already been posted, so all I can do now is add this.

The kind of pipe I had in Dallas was the older style orange clay-like PVC, which was susceptible to invasion by tree roots. Most of our incoming water lines are not that kind anymore. The shrubbery I have where I now live could also invade those older style pipes, but I have a PEX line where I live now, so it's highly unlikely.

I know that my opinion of trees is not shared by most people. But, I'm okay without trees, especially at my age when trying to save on costs of maintaining the property.
 
IrishEyes said:
I think I dislike them now after I posted this thread, I love a good pine or Blue Spruce best
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In our area Blue Spruce is a "weed" tree, and they are planted everywhere locally in yards. The native spruce is the Engelmann spruce.

Interestingly enough when I worked for the FS in town our boss somehow secured thousands of blue spruce seedlings that were not wanted in CO so he had us plant them on the ski hill. He got his azz in a jam over that one!!!

Nowadays I ride the lift while skiing I can point out some blue spruce that I planted 40+ years ago. They are approaching 30' tall now. I would like to know if they are reproducing but somehow can't seem to make myself hike up there after the snow melts.
 
againstthegrain said:
In our area Blue Spruce is a "weed" tree, and they are planted everywhere locally in yards. The native spruce is the Engelmann spruce.

Interestingly enough when I worked for the FS in town our boss somehow secured thousands of blue spruce seedlings that were not wanted in CO so he had us plant them on the ski hill. He got his azz in a jam over that one!!!

Nowadays I ride the lift while skiing I can point out some blue spruce that I planted 40+ years ago. They are approaching 30' tall now. I would like to know if they are reproducing but somehow can't seem to make myself hike up there after the snow melts.
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I had a big one just outside my fence in Illinois and I loved the color and look of it, I did have to trim the branches from growing into the easement road into the preserve behind me but trimming it was not as bad as dealing with these oaks around me now. I use to backpack in Angeles National forest and grew to love pine type trees from my exploring there. Mine was like these ColoradoBlueSpruce1797.jpg
 
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IrishEyes said:
I had a big one just outside my fence in Illinois and I loved the color and look of it, I did have to trim the branches from growing into the easement road into the preserve behind me but trimming it was not as bad as dealing with these oaks around me now. I use to backpack in Angeles National forest and grew to love pine type trees from my exploring there. Mine was like these
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I spent a season on a Hotshot crew in the Angles NF, at Chilao Flats just at the top of the Angles Crest Highway.

We have several Blue Spruce in our yard here, prob 50-60' and all the neighbors do too.
 
againstthegrain said:
I spent a season on a Hotshot crew in the Angles NF, at Chilao Flats just at the top of the Angles Crest Highway.

We have several Blue Spruce in our yard here, prob 50-60' and all the neighbors do too.
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Goodness, I haven't heard Chilao Flats in years,,, what a flashback that is! we used to park in Wrightwood at a friends house and hike out from there mostly. Sometimes we went into the deeper campgrounds and park there until one time we saw some guys set up with Nazi Flags out there marching in formation with rifles. Wildlife seemed not as dangerous as that sight did.
 
IrishEyes said:
Goodness, I haven't heard Chilao Flats in years,,, what a flashback that is! we used to park in Wrightwood at a friends house and hike out from there mostly. Sometimes we went into the deeper campgrounds and park there until one time we saw some guys set up with Nazi Flags out there marching in formation with rifles. Wildlife seemed not as dangerous as that sight did.
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It was a pretty cool place for being so close to LA. Plenty of nuts all around public land.
 
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