The Sacramento Valley’s trees have been greatly impacted by the lack of water and are disappearing after centuries of existence. Trees as old as 100-years are suddenly dying, cracking, and causing damage to homes and property.
Sacramento is currently in one of the worst droughts in modern history, and to comply with cutbacks mandated by the state, many residents have stopped watering their plants, shrubs, and lawns.
In trying to comply, residents are forgetting that their large trees need water too.
Recently, it was discovered that one of the oldest heritage oaks in the Sacramento Valley resides in Folsom, CA on Cruickshank Drive in the Los Cerros neighborhood. These oaks are native to California and were planted by nature, not man.
Sacramento is known as the city of trees due to its abundance and variety of trees. We are situated along a large river basin which arborist say helps keep underground water abundant, which trees like. But with drought, those resources are dwindling and human intervention is needed to keep our trees healthy.
Large trees with deep roots do not require frequent watering but instead intermittent deep soakings that will reach their deep root systems according to the Arbor Day Foundation. They suggest slowly watering or using a drip system for deep soaking.
To water a large tree (16inch Diameter or more) its recommended to water four locations around the tree hoping to penetrate at least a foot deep into the ground. With time, some trees eventually grow roots closer to the surface and adapt to environmental changes. But for our majestic oaks, intervention is key, they deserve to be here for generations to come.
I’m not an arborist but I love trees and the Sacramento Valley boasts the largest community of trees in any metropolitan area.