The oak trees are struggling, we need your help.
We found out at the beginning of 2024 that there was an infestation of the gold-spotted oak borer (GSOB) at our 39-acre wilderness site, Big Oak Canyon, in southern California. Majestic oaks on our beloved land are literally dying from this beetle infestation and our whole organization is urgently restructuring our staff and resources to save 100 oak trees that are between 100-250+ years old. We are stretched thin and need your help!
We hope you will take the time to read this page, and be moved to click the links, sign up to volunteer, or contribute funds to help get the urgent work accomplished now, before the beetles lay their eggs in new trees.
These oak trees are the breath and life of our forest. They support countless species of animals, provide food, shelter, shade and beauty. They inspire our work connecting people with nature.
Most of the mature oak trees at Big Oak Canyon are infected to some degree. The mortality rate of infected oak groves in our area is around 60%. That means that if not addressed swiftly, it’s possible we will lose almost all of our mature Coast Live Oak trees in our beautiful forest.
This beetle is a little wonder of nature that likely came in from Arizona 15 years ago and started reproducing abundantly in the favorable conditions of southern California. It began infesting oak trees in San Diego, and has worked its way from tree to tree, also hitching rides on firewood throughout the state.
This issue is extensive throughout southern California, and land owners are scrambling for solutions. It found its way to Big Oak Canyon likely years ago, but went unnoticed until this year. It has already devastated many mature oak trees at our site to the point where they are standing fire hazards that need to be cut down to the ground. There are approximately 100 other infected mature oak trees that need our help to push out the beetle, or they too may need to be cut down in the coming years. There is no known natural predator for GSOB in our area that can reduce an infestation once it has gotten to this stage. As an organization, we are stretched thin. With your support, the oaks will have a better chance of survival.
The LA Times recently reported on the devastating effects this beetle is causing throughout Southern California. Earthroots’ Founder & Executive Director, Jodi Levine, was interviewed for this article and shared how the infestation is killing trees and changing the landscape at Big Oak Canyon. Click the image below to read the article.
We need to expand our emergency fund immediately to take action to protect and try to save 100 mature oak trees that range from 100 to 250+ years old.
Volunteer labor will reduce the overhead cost per tree, but materials and equipment will still need to be purchased. Professional guidance will also be required, and our staff need more paid hours to accomplish this work. We need to act quickly before the beetles start reproducing and infesting more trees.
Help save the oaks by volunteering and/or making a donation to raise $500 per tree x 100 trees for a total of $50,000.
This amount will help us address the immediate needs for this ecological crisis at Big Oak Canyon, and allow us to develop a sustainable action plan moving forward.
DONATE
If you are in a position to donate, we need funding immediately, and will use all donations as they come in to purchase equipment and materials to initiate experiments comparing non-toxic treatments with pesticides (if determined to be absolutely necessary), increase our efforts tending the forest, and to hire skilled labor to fill in necessary roles.
We have been in communication with dozens of experts on GSOB, and are now scouring the state for experts on non-toxic solutions to GSOB infestations. So far, we have not found any proven non-toxic solutions. If you have any leads, we would greatly appreciate you putting us in touch. We would also like to be introduced to companies that would be willing to donate time, equipment, or services to support tending the forest. This could be businesses related to landscaping, arborists, surveying, or any company interested in sponsoring this work. We would like to connect with experienced community partners to learn from and take action with, for the highest health outcomes for our beloved forest. Contact [email protected].
VOLUNTEER
We need a tremendous amount of manual labor to address the workload. If you can volunteer your time, we ask that you commit to a 3-hour session, and ideally come back multiple times to help. Shane Brown, Earthroots’ Land Restoration Manager, has been working day after day and needs our community to stand beside him. A description of roles and tools is listed below.
Here’s a video of Shane describing how the beetle affects the oaks.
Since purchasing Big Oak Canyon in 2011, we have not used herbicides or pesticides on the land. We would love for our site to be a demonstration to other landowners about alternatives to pesticides for this situation, but we cannot do it alone, and there is no clear path to follow.
Shane Brown has taken a strong lead on protecting the oaks and we are so grateful. We invite you to read Shane’s heartfelt reaction to the infestation HERE.
Shane and Jodi (Earthroots’ Founder & Executive Director) are in communication with scientists specializing in beetle infestations and forest ecology, local tribal elders, organizations working to find alternatives to pesticides, and local land managers. The majority of recommendations have been to remove amplifier trees and treat now with pesticides to slow the spread. We are not in favor of using pesticides on our beloved site, and certainly don’t want to lose 60% of our oaks, which is what will happen if we do nothing.
What we know is that we need to grow our forest restoration budget and our network of support exponentially, now. Our short term plan is to remove amplifier trees (heavily infested with over 100 GSOB exit holes) and treat the lesser infected trees with either pesticides or an alternative non-toxic method. Thanks to a grant from UCEE, OCFA and CalFIRE, a significant portion of the oak tree removal is likely to be funded, but that is just the beginning.
Our long term strategy to prevent future infestations will be to:
- increase our energy on ecological restoration
- create and manage a team of interns to work with us
- increase thinning out of the overcrowded parts of the forest
- ongoing monitoring to document how the treatments are impacting the forest
- create a caged study with various non-toxic and pesticide treatments
- initiate discussions with leaders on updated best practices
These will be new and ongoing expenses for our organization.
The GSOB begins to emerge from the trees this time of year (late spring) and finds new trees to lay eggs in… so time is of the essence.
The non-toxic experiments require an enormous amount of labor – some suggest spraying each sprawling 100+ year old tree three times per week for several months. We currently do not have a budget for ongoing care, and are using our emergency fund to initiate a short term plan. As a non-profit organization, we know all too well how taking funding from one program to solve the problem of another is not a good choice to have to make – but this is where we are at today. Your support will make all the difference, and allow Earthroots to both manage this infestation effectively, and continue inspiring others to love the forest through our incredibly successful programs.
We are looking to you and our extended Earthroots community for support during this ecological crisis.
Thank you for standing with us for the oaks and the forest.
VOLUNTEER SHIFTS
We have 3-hour shifts, both in the morning (9 am – 12 pm) and afternoon (2 – 5 pm), on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the months of May and June. Sign up for one shift or several! Bring friends and family. Help us spread the word.
If you are not available on the listed dates and still want to help, please contact Shane ([email protected]) for additional volunteer times and dates.
This is an excellent experience for Environmental Science students (high school and college level). Learn as you help! Education will be given during each work session on how each activity will benefit the forest.
Forest Tending Volunteer Work will include but is not limited to:
Heavy Labor
Send us strong teenagers, adults and able bodied workers!
- tools used may include hand saw, pole saw, chainsaw, hatchet, knife.
- hauling/dragging and de-barking heavy logs that have been cut down. Save some infested bark to put in cages for caged GSOB study, send the rest of bark to Aguinaga Green Waste Facility. This involves moving heavy logs, lots of axe work.
- prepare selected trees for lime spray – scrape off loose bark and lichen on lower trunk. Lots of hand work that takes some umph. No experience necessary.
- clear brush under the oaks to get good access to them, for fire clearance and for reducing competition. May require walking on steep slopes.
- save and peel straight shoots and poles taken out, save and cut dead wood for firewood, load other brush into trailer and take to Aguinaga. This involves lots of work with handsaw, chainsaw, hatchet, and knife, and driving with trailer.
- mix limewash and apply with sprayer to trunks and branches 10” and greater diameter, lower trunk may be painted by hand with a brush. Very messy and awkward and tedious work, wearing clothing that will get lime on it. (Lime wash can be a skin irritant – protective clothing, gloves and eye protection is required.)
- driving your own truck or trailer full of branches/bark to Aguinaga Green Waste Facility
Lighter Tasks
- making aluminum screen cages for GSOB caged study. This is sitting work with scissors and hands.
- raking bark into piles
- hospitality: bringing good energy and serving drinks and snacks (that we will provide) to volunteers