Mt. Madonna Tree Removal Fact Sheet

1. What has led to the removal of trees at Mt. Madonna County Park?
   
   • The County of Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Department (County Parks) conducts an annual and/or bi-annual hazardous tree survey throughout the park system. The surveys are conducted in all use areas, where park guests or staff may be stationary for a period of time (including, campgrounds, day use areas, staging areas, offices, shops, residences, etc.). Most parks are on a bi-annual survey timeline. Sanborn County Park and Mt. Madonna County Park are on annual cycles due to the density of the forests and current forest health issues in the park. Sanborn County Park is a known location for Sudden Oak Death and Mt. Madonna County Park is a known location for different pathogens (including Armillaria oak root rot fungi, oak rot fungi, etc.).
2. Does the County Parks system have a monitoring program for hazardous trees?
   
   • County Parks developed a Tree Safety Program, modeled after industry standards in 2002, following the closure of Mt. Madonna County Park during the summer season of 2001. The park was closed when several trees fell in the campgrounds. At that time the Department hired foresters and pathologists to survey the trees for hazardous conditions. 249 trees were removed, and over 350 trees marked for on-going monitoring. The park was re-opened in the fall of 2001. The Winter and Spring of 2002, the Department’s Natural Resource Program developed a Tree Safety inspection program and trained resource management staff on the identification of potential hazardous trees through observation of external indicators. Training was conducted by a registered forester from California State Parks. Since 2002, the Department has conducted tree safety inspections in high use areas, near offices and residences in the park.
3. Is there, or should there be, a quarantine on the trees that have been cut down at Mt. Madonna?
   
   • The Department hired a pathologist to assist with the understanding of the forest health. Best Management Practices were recommended by the pathologist. The trees were deemed able to leave the park without the potential of spreading the disease. However, there was a concern of increasing the spread of the diseases to healthy trees within the use areas, if healthy trees are damaged during removal of diseased trees. Best Management Practices call for the removal of trees during the summer months to prevent further spread. However, the Department is making every effort to reopen the park use areas for this summer’s camping and picnicking season, so parameters have been placed on the contractor performing the work to minimize damage to other trees and we are proceeding with the winter/spring tree removals.
4. What are the criteria for removing a potentially hazardous tree?
   
   • Trees at Mt. Madonna are surveyed annually through observations and inspections of external indicators (tree growth, decay, root structure, canopy health, dead/dying tree parts, lean, existence of cavities, etc.). In cases where staff are uncertain or need further information, the Department hires professional experts to render an opinion. In the case of this year’s tree removals at Mt. Madonna County Park, the Department hired a pathologist to better understand the forest health and diseases related to the tree failures, and brought in a CalFire Registered Forester to assess the hazardous potential and render a second opinion on the tree assessments conducted by park staff. In both cases, the findings of staff were verified by the pathologist and registered forester.
5. Why are trees that appear healthy being removed?
   
   • To the untrained eye, trees may appear healthy. However, there are indicators that nutrients are not being transported throughout the tree and that fungi are present in the roots and trunk of the trees being removed. The only trees being marked for removal are those trees that are showing the same external signs (reduced health of canopy, “bleeding” in trunk, presence of oak rot fungi, presence of decayed cavity in trunk or other wound sites, etc.) of trees that have fallen in recent years. Since the marking of trees in Oct-Dec 2011 and closure of use areas, marked trees have fallen in the closed use areas. The trees that have fallen, and those marked, are showing the same external signs of poor health.
6. Why can’t the Department only remove trees with significant decay?
   
   • One particular fungi, oak rot canker, works from heartwood (inside the tree) outward. There is very little way to tell how extensive the decay has become until it either falls or a portion of the tree breaks and falls or until the tree is cut. Again, the surveys and removals are focused in the use areas only, whereby a failed tree or tree part fall can cause personal injury or property damage.
7. When is the park reopening?
   
   • The initial phase of removals is occurring now. The majority of Valley View 1 (including the RV and Yurt sites are now open) and Inspiration Point (including Redwood Grove group picnic sites) is open. The Deer Pen will be reopened March 1st and the Youth Campground re-opened in March (date to be determined). Other areas of the park will open as they are treated and made safe for access (including clean up of sites). The department’s goal is to open all areas by Memorial Day weekend (at least all camping facilities). This will depend on weather, access, hiring of contractor, etc. The Department is expediting the project by using both contractors and park staff in the tree removal process.

Please call 408.355.2215 for any further information or questions. 02/27/12