The “new normal” here in the Golden State seems to be more along the plot lines of Dune than Baywatch. This winter it hasn’t rained or snowed much at all.
I predict that when summer heat and smog returns, our local potentates will call for water conservation. They won’t, of course, say anything about the use of water by big agricultural interests, but will, instead, focus on the tiny amount of water that goes to maintaining urban and suburban landscapes and parks. In 2015, Donald R. Hodel and Dennis R. Pittenger of UC Riverside published a white paper, “9% The California Drought and Water Use,” challenging this sort of knee jerk water conservation. They said,
Water the trees. Trees form the infrastructure of our landscapes and urban forest, and are their permanent or, at least, most long-lived and valuable components around which the other plants intermesh, if not depend. Mature trees are among the most valuable and difficult-to-replace plants in urban areas. Their loss would be devastating. Trees can be likened to the steel framework of a building; how could the building exist without it. So, keep the trees watered.
Not watering the trees results in an arid cityscape, trees that fall over and kill people and big bills from your arborist. Of course, as Pittenger and Hodeln note, we should plant trees that use less water and make our landscape watering practices more efficient. But we should also consider the ongoing value of trees and landscapes planted in the pre–Dune era.
Towards that end I’m going to take a close look at our own drip irrigation system this week, repair leaks and extend the lines to better water our growing trees. I also need to make a much overdue revue of the programs I’ve set on our “smart” timer. But I’m also going to buy a pair of earplugs to use specifically for when our mayor (future president?) begins talking about municipal water conservation.
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It drives me nuts when I see newly planted trees (e.g. ones along the new expo train route), and they are just left to wither up and die. I don’t know if it’s the city deciding to neglect these brand new plantings or the people doing the planting thinking once a tree is in the ground then that takes care of that, but talk about a waste of a sapling and effort! Wouldn’t it be a good time to talk about the benefits of gray water? I don’t know why L.A. focuses on rock yards and succulents when we can easily use gray water to take care of our landscape needs. It’s all my parents use at their house, and my dad has a lush yard of productive citrus trees, papayas, loquats, persimmons, etc. My dad is the most stingy with water, he will scoop up every bit of used water for the yard. There is the topic of the difference between gray and black water, but since he uses the water mostly on trees and it is our own personal property, it works out fine.
Good point! One of the things I need to do is fix our laundry to landscape greywater system. When we switched washers I disconnected it. Greywater can indeed be an important part of our drought strategies.
If I only took one thing away from the years of reading your writings, it is to water my trees. Even though the PNW is not lacking in rain (eyes roll back in my head, we were flooding last week), in the summer we go 2+ months without any rain to speak of. Not the same thing, I know. But, I planted a number of trees on my property and have done a much better job of watering them (and feeling good about it) thanks to these reminders.
Yes, huge amounts of trees are dying in Los Angeles. I support drought tolerant landscapes but mature trees are a huge investment that we cannot lose. Let’s encourage the city to encourage drip irrigation, mulch, greywater and other smart solutions.