There are many obstacles to re-establishing California’s gorgeous native oaks: Livestock, compacted soils, invasive/exotic grasses and other weed competition, restrictions or impracticality of using fire (an oak’s best friend) as a management tool, and high deer populations, to name a few.
One project is off to a great start, thanks to a dedicated project manager and 5ft and 6ft Tubex Combitube Tree Tubes with t-posts for stakes (and a short steel stake opposite to prevent cattle from spinning the tubes).
A curious cow nudges a newly installed tree tube – probably the first of many nuzzles, shoves and bites the tree tubes will endure in the coming years. But they have proven time and again they are up to the task.
Tree tubes on direct seeded blue oak acorns.
We added a short 2nd stake opposite the 6ft t-post stake to provide extra strength and prevent the cattle from trying to spin the tree tube around the stake.
