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What to do know about Santa Ana winds, tree limbs and firescaping

January 18, 2025

In the wake of our recent catastrophic fires, much can be written about the value of firescaping and its principles and I will get to that subject in a moment, but first let me say a few words about tree maintenance. The Santa Ana winds that spread the fires with lightning speed blew with hurricane force. Although nothing can compare to the property damage — much less loss of life — caused by the wind-driven fires, it’s worth taking a moment to discuss tree damage not only from the recent Santa Anas, but from strong winds in general.

On my own block, a massive limb of a carob tree broke off on the Santa Anas’ account and I was given the opportunity to examine it up close. If you see the massive branch of a tree that broke off in your neighborhood, perhaps you ask yourself the question: “There are plenty of big, thick tree branches up and down my street, so why did only this one break off?” The answer, more likely than not, is that the tree in question was improperly pruned. Where pruning cuts in a tree are improperly made, these cuts cannot properly heal and present an open invitation to pathogenic fungi. Once fungal spores get into an open wound where a faulty pruning cut was made, the interior of that branch could rot, weakening its attachment to the tree. In the particular case of the carob tree on my street, I noticed a poorly healed cut from a large branch that had been lopped off close to where the broken limb had been attached to the trunk.

It is also true, however, that leguminous trees such as carob have a tendency for limbs to die back for no apparent reason, but this tendency will only be exacerbated by improper pruning. The most popular leguminous tree known for dying back is mimosa or silk tree (Albizia julibrissin). It is famous for its rapid growth into a perfect umbrella form but, within a decade or less, branches will start dying back. From my experience, pruning it will only hasten its decline since it seems to have a weak immune system and pruning cuts are slow to heal, if they ever do.

The mimosa or silk tree (Albizia julibrissin) is known for its rapid growth, but often begins to die back within a decade. (Photo by Joshua Siskin)

The coral tree (Erythrina caffra) is a leguminous species that is particularly hazardous. Each time I drive down San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood, whose median is planted with coral trees, I am reminded of this tree’s fragility. Don’t get me wrong: the coral tree is a magnificent, muscular-limbed species that loses its leaves in the winter and then, still in leafless condition, produces a breathtaking blanket of fiery orange flowers. The only problem with the coral tree is that it simply cannot support its own weight and must be pruned at least once a year. The best time to do this would be in March or April, following bloom so as not to sacrifice flower production, but the moment your coral tree looks top heavy, you should prune it, no matter what the season, even if that means pruning every six months.

I have seen many fallen or split-apart coral trees over the years, despite their having been pruned on an annual basis. If you look at the more mature coral trees on San Vicente Boulevard, you will notice that many of the trunks show scars where large branches have broken off. Because of their top-heaviness and brittle wood, coral trees don’t live long. Nevertheless, each time a coral tree on San Vicente Boulevard dies, it is replaced with another. Some would argue that a different, sturdier type of tree should be planted instead. Yet so beloved are the Brentwood coral trees by the surrounding residents that it has been written into the city’s specific plan that “no major alteration of the (San Vicente Boulevard) median strip shall occur without a public hearing.”

This crepe myrtle tree has wound wood around a cut, indicating that the tree was properly pruned. (Photo by Joshua Siskin)

So how do you identity a successful pruning cut? It’s quite easy since such a cut produces wound wood, a raised layer of callus tissue around the cut. This tissue effectively seals off the wound from entrance of pathogenic organisms. As I walked down my street and examined the pruning cuts on various trees, most of them were without wound wood. When a cut is made flush with a trunk or any large branch, no wound wood can form. Incidentally, the practice of coating pruning cuts with a tar-like gooey substance has been discredited since it can trap moisture on the cut surface, prevent healing, and encourage decay.

Now for the tragic fires and what could be done to prevent them. The regulations we are obligated to follow, unfortunately, are woefully inadequate when it comes to preventing a fire from engulfing our homes. For residents of Los Angeles County, at least, there is a legal mandate to maintain defensible space — the area around a structure which must meet certain brush clearance and landscape or firescape specifications — of only 200 feet. For a full list of defensible space action items, search “LA County defensible space.” However, when there are 80 mph winds whipping up a blaze, a 200-foot measure of clearance means nothing.

There actually is a solution to wide scale brush clearance and no army of weed whackers or mechanical equipment of any kind would be needed to get the job done. I am talking about goats. Michael Choi and his family own and operate Fire Grazers Incorporated. They started with a herd of 50 that has expanded to 1,000 goats. “We have more business than we can handle,” Choi told me. When I asked if goats’ grazing could have stopped our recent fires from causing so much damage, he replied, “The goats could at least have cleared enough brush to grant more time between the start of the fire and arrival of firefighters.” To learn more about Choi’s services, go to goatsrock.com.

California native of the week: Wright’s beebrush or Oreganillo (Aloysia wrightii) is an evergreen to semi-deciduous shrub that grows in desert to woodland habitats to a height and girth of six feet. It is covered with short, white flower spikes that attract birds and solitary bees from late summer into fall. Roundish in form, Its oval leaves, less than an inch long, are used as an oregano substitute. Lemon verbena (Aloysia tryphilla) is a non-native relative, available in your nursery’s herb section, that is prized for its leaves’ unmatched lemon fragrance. Oreganillo is highly aromatic too and would make a wonderful addition to an herb, drought tolerant, aromatic, or native plant garden but, unfortunately, is not widely available in the nursery trade. If anyone knows of a source for this plant or its seeds, please advise.

Are there any winter-blooming plants you would like more people to know about? If so, tell me about them in an email to [email protected]. Your questions, comments, gardening conundrums and successes are always welcome.

What to do know about Santa Ana winds, tree limbs and firescaping Orange County Register

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What to do know about Santa Ana winds, tree limbs and firescaping

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