Migrane, West Coast

Post #31,584 by kmself 3/11/02 3:32:10 AM Reply	Migrane, West Coast High winds have been all over the place. Thursday, I saw a very wind-whipped Pacific Ocean off of Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Crossing the Golden Gate bridge was an exercise in high-wind driving. On Hwy 121, headed toward Sonoma, I saw a eucalyptus tree a quarter mile ahead come crashing down, directly across the road. [link\|http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/09tree_b1.html\|This woman] drove directly into a 5.5 foot diameter tree at 60 MPH, convertible Camero, top down. I didn't even realize a car had been hit until we'd come to a stop. She didn't suffer at all -- death was instantaneous. Still, frightening to consider what 20 seconds' difference would have made. A number of the other drivers stopped at the scene were quite shaken. Eucalyptus are rapidly becoming flora non grata in California. They're an alien species, burn like mad, fall and kill people, and choke out native plants. I expect to see a trimming campaign for roadside trees in the next year or so. Traffic was halted after the accident for two hours. We backtracked after about ten minutes on site, taking a set of alternate local routes I know. One of these goes straight through a 1/2 mile long corridor of eucalyptus, which I have to admit was not the most welcome attraction. `-- Karsten M. Self [link\|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com\|kmself@ix.netcom.com] [link\|http://kmself.ix.netcom.com/\|[link\|http://kmself.ix.netcom.com/\|http://kmself.ix.netcom.com/]] What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?`
Post #31,586 by Ashton 3/11/02 3:56:40 AM Reply	Phew.. close to home. I drive that road too, and when there are winds in the valley - they come around one of my house corners with a vengeance. We had one of those 'wind only' storms about a week ago. - probably the most intense in 10 years. I est. >45 mph gusts; watched a very tall (~45') tree across the creek, swaying more than I've ever seen.. and that Eucalyptus went at 35? Must have been sick, as they theorize. Perhaps it was weakened by the earlier storm. 3/4 mile is Too Close! I'm glad that Maxwell's Demon was on Your side this time. Scary. Cheers, Ashton
Post #31,612 by Andrew Grygus 3/11/02 10:44:22 AM Reply	Eucalyptus The reason Eucalyptus trees fall down is they are nursery trees, planted by landscapers. They never break out of the root balls caused by being in pots. Here in Southern California they're used as windbreaks, easily withstanding 100-mph winds. I know the ones surrounding my house have withstood gusts of about 80-mph without so much as losing any leaves. There is no posibility whatever of one being uprooted. It just can't happen (the root structure is the same size as the branch structure). Eucalyptus planted by landscapers, however, fall over if you look at them wrong. Eucalyptus was brought from Australia to make railroad ties (because it grows to maturity so fast). The entrepreneurs who brought it failed to notice one thing - they grow in a spiral. The wood twists as it dries, and there isn't anything going to hold it. It'd rip the spikes right out. Some friends knew a "back to our roots" guy who built his back woods house using convenient eucalyptus lumber he cut himself. The house ripped itself to shreads within a year. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #31,730 by kmself 3/11/02 7:27:57 PM Reply	Widowmakers Eucalypts are known for shedding branches, including major branches, in high winds, or when the mood strikes. When I was a kid, it was common knowledge that they were known as "widowmakers" (bacause if a tree falls in a forest and a woman's not there to hear it, her man dies alone), which IIRC is the Australian nickname. It's not that the trees fall from the root balls, it's that they split. This was a multi-trunked tree that fell, though I didn't get close to where it was to get a good look on Thursday. This is an inherently weak configuration for a tree. The entire plant didn't fall over, just one major section. This was an older tree -- 75-100' tall, probably at least 20-30 years old, not a young thing recently planted. Incidentally, when we were stopped, a woman reporting the accident needed the location, being unfamiliar with the area. I said "about three miles north of Highway 37", guessing the distance. I clocked it driving back to the house last night. Three miles to the dot on the odometer, within 0.10 miles. I found I was really good at judging road distances several years ago driving through Nevada. Interesting skill.... `-- Karsten M. Self [link\|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com\|kmself@ix.netcom.com] [link\|http://kmself.ix.netcom.com/\|[link\|http://kmself.ix.netcom.com/\|http://kmself.ix.netcom.com/]] What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?`
Post #31,780 by Andrew Grygus 3/12/02 12:39:30 AM Reply	Well, the ones here . . . . never lose branches in a high wind, but they definitely do as the mood strikes. On a clear day with no wind, Keeerrwoosh! The ones to the north, east and west are not really a problem because they're tough and stringy. If a branch comes down, the heavy part is still attached to the trunk. The one to the south is very brittle, but all the heavy branches are over the property next door. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]

Welcome to IWETHEY!