Roots From Another Land

Roots From Another Land. Lake Chabot Historical Walk. Many of the trees surrounding you have foreign roots, each with its own tale. In 1868 the Hayward Journal described Chabot’s plans to encircle the reservoir with “walnut, hickory nuts, butternuts, and other eastern and foreign nut trees.” These transplants may have included the exotic palms before you. , The tree enclosed by the fences is a cork oak (Quercus suber), 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 sprouted into the towering trees around you. This get-rich-quick craze that spread throughout the San Francisco area touted the tree for timber, medicine, erosion, and fire control. The pros and cons 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, eventually planting 65,000 trees. The Eucalyptus Timber Company secured his endorsement for a brochure “Jack London and Eucalyptus” to entice more investors. , Captions: , Tree-of-Heaven (Ailantus altissima) (l), Eastern arborvitae cedar (Thuja occidentalis) (r), The Chinese laborers planted non-native cedars and Atlanthus, “Chinese Tree-of-Heaven” found throughout the park. (bottom left.).