Tree Maintenance at Benicia State Park.
The Benicia Tree Foundation’s Third Thursday Tree Care Day in August included a tree pruning clinic at the Benicia State Recreation Area in cooperation with the State Parks’ Volunteers in Park Program and the Benicia State Parks Association. Volunteers were trained in how to prune coast live oaks. Twelve of these oaks were planted from gallon containers over fifteen years ago
Training included how to safely use tools, how to cut a tree limb, and how to prune for good tree structure so it grows into a mature, healthy and safe tree. August is a good time to prune Coast live oaks because they stop growing near the end of summer. These oaks had not been pruned since being planted. Many still had their tree tubes and stakes attached. Their condition emphasized that fact that it is best to begin pruning regularly when trees are young, before problems get complicated and expensive. Spending time and money getting a young tree started off right will be worth the effort when the result is a healthy and beautiful tree.
Volunteers also watered 15 native tree saplings planted by the Benicia Tree Foundation along the Bay Trail in 2015 to 2019.
At Top: Norma Deaner of the Benicia State Parks Association prepared this collage of photos from the Third Thursday Tree Care Day held at BSRA.
