I am the
Landscape Architect for the California Health Sciences University (CHSU) in Central
California. The CHSU site is characterized by rolling hills, a board grassy plain
and features a number of individual trees and informal groves of native Blue Oak trees(Quercus douglasii). The oaks are all that have survived
the agricultural history of cattle grazing that removed the native grasses and
shrub communities. All the other trees,
including the Gray Pine (Pinus sabiniana), were removed by fire or for building
construction.
The existing
oaks are the basis for the CHSU Campus Landscape Strategy, and are being saved and
featured as markers of the site’s landscape heritage. Saving the oak trees also
assists in the reestablishment of the native Central California oak woodlands, and
informs the campus landscape and architectural development: the oak woodlands are
well-adapted to the hot and dry climate, support conservation of water
resources and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that are
typically required for conventional landscapes.
Preserving
the native oak trees requires a comprehensive approach. Native oak trees are
very sensitive to grade changes and ground compaction from the trees’ trunks to
the drip line at the outer edge of the trees’ canopies. Native oaks grow in groups responding to the
presence of water in natural drainage ways or groundwater aquifers and seeps,
hence these water features need to be preserved and maintained.
In addition,
we recommended fencing the oaks in groves following the collective canopy drip
lines to prevent vehicular or other development-related intrusions into the
groves. The fencing serves as a constant reminder to stay away from the oaks during
the development stages of the CHSU site, and facilitates native landscape regeneration.
Range land fencing of pressure treated wood post and wire is the most visually
unobtrusive fencing of the oak tree groves and relates to the local rural
agricultural character as shown in the adjacent image.
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