Our fearless leader has been diligent in her efforts, keeping the weeds in check and spreading mulch. She's even been known to put together a work crew in a matter of days, just to eradicate new weeds & invasives before they set seed.
Click on images to enlarge.
We had two Planting Parties this month. Volunteers helped plant and mulch 100+ baby oaks, sycamores, lemonade berry, mulefat and elderberry.
A big thanks goes out to the Boy Scout Troop 669 for their fabulous efforts!
Highly invasive mustard (Sisymbrium irio, London rocket) was identified in Del Dios Park.
Both line trimmers and herbicides were used to get control of the weed before it set seed. Eucalyptus mulch was spread around the Oaks to keep weeds down for next year. As a result, Del Dios Park is looking extra beautiful this year – green and trimmed.
The Goldspotted Oak Borer (GSOB) is tiny beetle that’s infesting and killing oak trees in San Diego County. This beetle came from Arizona, where the environments have predators that naturally keep the beetle populations under control. Here in California, the only method of controlling the spread of GSOB is containment.
Cut wood that’s infested is still a threat, so don't move firewood, and follow some basic containment techniques to keep any mature beetles from escaping and reproducing.
University of California - Learn more about containment strategies, report GSOB sighting, download GSOB Field Identification Guide
University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources - Integrated Pest Management Program
San Diego Union Tribune - Beetles take a bite out of backcountry (Feb. 17, 2013), Oak deaths top 80,000 in San Diego County (Sept. 2, 2011)
California Firewood Task Force - Learn about the "Buy it Where You Burn It" campaign
Firewood Scout - Need to buy firewood? Find a vendor that knows where their supply comes from and has taken necessary precautions by seasoning the wood for two years or heat treating it.
California resources & info on Don't Move Firewood dot org
