Roots From Another Land

Many of the trees surrounding the reservoir were introduced from elsewhere. In 1868, Chabot planned to encircle the reservoir with walnut, hickory nut, butternut, and other eastern and foreign nut trees, and these transplants may have included the palms nearby. The fenced tree is a cork oak, native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. In 1892, Portuguese vaquero Frank Silva worked for the Contra Costa Water Company and could have planned this tree for his wine bottling. In the 1910s, Frank C. Havens of People’s Water Company imported millions of eucalyptus seedlings that grew into the towering trees nearby. This get-rich-quick craze spread throughout the San Francisco area and promoted eucalyptus for timber, medicine, erosion, and fire control. The advantages and disadvantages of this Australian native continue to be debated, raising the larger question of how introduced species affect local flora and fauna. Oakland author Jack London also invested in the eucalyptus trend and eventually planted 65,000 trees, and the Eucalyptus Timber Company used his endorsement in a brochure titled “Jack London and Eucalyptus” to attract more investors. Chinese laborers planted non-native cedars and tree-of-heaven found throughout the park.

Oakland, California · United States