December 18, 2022 – Memorial Grove Update

These three young Monterey cypress trees of the Memorial Grove have been doing quite well. Consequently, there is not much to write about them. Two were installed scarcely more than a year ago. The other was installed about two and a half years ago. All three were dinky seedlings when installed, so are less demanding than larger specimens would have been as they dispersed their roots to get established. Although still young, small and vulnerable, their only minor difficulty has been the partial shade of larger endemic box elder and cottonwood trees that have not yet been pruned for clearance. Such pruning has been delayed until the new trees become established, which they seem to have been doing quite efficiently. Although they lack supplemental irrigation, they would likely appreciate increased exposure to sunlight more than shelter from potentially desiccating warm breezes. I intend to increase clearance for the oldest of the three trees this winter for next year. I should do the same for the other two trees by next winter. Adjacent vegetation will subordinate to these three trees as they mature. They are only rarely irrigated by bucket and even more rarely fertilized. Lack of irrigation promotes deeper root dispersion. Since they are a nearly native species from Carmel, they actually require no assistance now that their roots are adequately dispersed. Unfortunately, I did not get good pictures of any of the trees.

The Steven Michael Ralls Memorial Tree is the oldest of the three Monterey cypress trees within the Memorial Grove. It was installed on May 2, 2020, three years after Steven Michael Ralls passed away. It is now almost six feet tall.

The David Noel Riddell Memorial Tree was installed in conjunction with the David Fritiof Lindberg Memorial Tree a few days after David Fritiof Lindberg passed away on November 13, 2021. It is the smallest of the three trees, so is only slightly taller than three feet. Monterey cypress is coincidentally an ideal species for this particular Memorial, since David Noel Riddell is a direct descendent of some of the first Spanish people to arrive in California. His ancestors have inhabited Monterey continuously since then.

The David Fritiof Lindberg Memorial Tree, as mentioned above, was installed a few days after David Fritiof Lindberg passed away on November 13, 2021. It is about four feet tall now.

These three trees were installed in memory of three members of our Community who, at one time or another, had been unhoused. Actually, this Memorial Grove is coincidentally developing on a former camp site of Steven Michael Ralls. A fourth tree will be installed for another deceased and formerly unhoused member of our Community as more of the endemic vegetation is subordinated. This fourth tree and any subsequent trees may not necessarily be Monterey cypress, but will be evergreen and coniferous, since the Memorial Grove happens to be a component of a landscape that is designed to replace deciduous endemic vegetation with densely evergreen vegetation, and ultimately obscure the view of nearby industrial buildings.