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News · September 1, 2021

Outstanding in Their Fields…

This spectacular pair of old-growth redwoods soars over Samuel P. Taylor State Park in west Marin County. It graces the author’s mobile phone as a wallpaper background. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.

The wallpaper photo on my mobile phone is a spectacular towering old-growth redwood that somehow survived being cut down in Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Its trunk ascending to the stratosphere, it is uplifting to behold, even on the phone’s small screen. Redwoods like it are the symbol of this region, and for good reason. But the more ubiquitous old-growth hardwoods, mainly oaks and buckeyes, are also spectacular in their way. Perhaps it’s time we gave them the respect they’re due.

In terms of sheer numbers, Northern California is the land of oaks and other hardwoods. It is really the Oak Empire, and our oaks are amazing. Old-growth oaks and buckeyes can have incredible character with their twisted limbs and thick trunks. They have different stories to tell than redwoods. And they are often breathtaking works of art, dancing without moving, speaking without making a sound. They make California unique, and they are uniquely Californian, some of them found nowhere else.

With all the work that volunteers do in the Bay Area taking care of the native landscape, we should not forget to let the native landscape take care of us. It’s possible to go “forest bathing” in the presence of one magnificent tree. In this guide to enjoying old growth specimens, I focus on three species that are easy to see around the Bay: valley oak (Quercus lobata), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), and California buckeye (Aesculus californica). All can live for hundreds of years and age in magnificent ways, with twists, knots, scars, holes, and burls that turn them into living art pieces.

Of the three, old valley oaks tend to be the showiest, having the most mass, height, and girth (150 feet tall and trunks up to 10 feet across). Coast live oaks are often found in tight stands, but lone old individuals can be almost as large as valley oaks (nearly 100 feet tall with canopies nearly as wide). California buckeye is the smallest of the three (35 feet tall and wide) but is able to contort and twist itself into knot-like structures that boggle the mind.

Here is a pictorial list of some good ones to check out when you have the time.

Find the six-foot-tall man at the base of this valley oak in the San Jose Creek Preserve, Novato. Quercus lobata doesn’t get much taller. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
Looking up through branches rising 100 feet above the San Jose Creek Preserve in Novato. This valley oak towers among others just south of Ignacio Boulevard in Novato. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
A monstrous beauty, this tree guards a vinyard just south of Sonoma along Highway 12. Ancient, with a trunk that expands as it rises, this valley oak (Quercus lobata) is a showstopper. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
This valley oak (Quercus lobata) reigns supreme over the west end of the Bon Air Center parking lot in Greenbrae. Look for it just off of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
This valley oak (Quercus lobata) commands respect as it sprawls majestically over grassland west of Lafayette. It can be seen south of Highway 24 above the Oakwood Athletic Club. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
Coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) rarely come any more amazing than this old-growth star on Contra Costa Avenue in Berkeley. Complete with an active honeybee hive on its north side, it has to be seen to be believed. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
Art is expensive in downtown Carmel, but you can enjoy this living sculpture for free. It’s one of many artistically inclined coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) in town. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
A living sculpture on the Berkeley campus, find this old California buckeye (Aesculus californica) near Strawberry Creek north of Morrison Hall. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
Knots and twists that defy explanation make these old-growth buckeyes (Aesculus californica) a must-see near the Edoff Memorial Bandstand along the north side of Oakland’s Lake Merritt. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
A closer view of the mindboggling twists and knots that form the branches of this old buckeye (Aesculus californica) on the north side of Lake Merritt in Oakland. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
Not an oak but a buckeye (Aesculus californica) arches out over the Shoreline Trail at China Camp State Park near San Rafael. I’d like to know if there is a larger specimen anywhere in the state. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.
Another view of this buckeye (Aesculus californica) near the campground at China Camp State Park. Worth the trip just to see how big these can get. Photo by Randal DeLuchi.

— Randal DeLuchi, Point Isabel revegetation volunteer, worked with the West Contra Costa School Garden Program for ten years, using gardens in education.
September 2021

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