In the past month, two members of Berkeley's beloved tree community have started to move on toward the ends their long, woody lives. The two trees, one
bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) and one
coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), will be missed.
The bigleaf maple, much beloved by the campus creek restoration community, met its downfall during the last big storm over spring break. This individual took root near the ruins of one of Berkeley's oldest bridges, and now itself spans the waters.
The coast redwood, amongst its grove, likely lost its footing during the same storm, and now precariously leans towards Stephens Hall.
As tragic as these events may seem,
fallen trees are an integral part of creek ecosystems, providing fish habitat, stream modification, and new nutrients.
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The listing coast redwood (S. sempervirens)
in the vicinity of Stephens Hall. |
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The downed bigleaf maple (A. macrophyllum) in
question, located near the West Entrance. |
