Oak Woodlands Description
The Oak Woodlands in Golden Gate Park are the remnants of the only “forested” area originally within the 49 square miles of San Francisco. These coastal live oaks grow in sheltered ravine areas and, remarkably, were left intact when Golden Gate Park was created by removing all the native dune plant communities and planting non-native grasses and ornamental plants.
The chief management challenges in this project include coping with the dominant understory weeds — English ivy, cape ivy, blackberry, and ehrharta grass. The other problem that the Oak Woodlands project faces to a greater degree than any other remnant natural area in the City is the ever-present contingent of homeless and their encampments. Here is the management plan.
Through strong volunteer leadership, the Oak Woodlands project has enjoyed one of the most rapidly-increasing rosters of new volunteers. These folks have made huge gains in recovery of the biological diversity of this remarkable area.
Oak Woodlands currently has 88 volunteers who have subscribed to our regular email newsletters and work at this site. They have posted 72 photos and 20 posts to their blog.
Regular Workparty Schedule
- 2nd Saturday of each month from 10:00 to 12:00
Regular Meeting Location
- Conservatory of Flowers -- [Map and Details]
Blog Posts
Here are blog posts about the Oak Woodlands project — presented 2 at a time in reverse chronological order. Browse to earlier or later posts via the pagination controls below.
Coon Hollow
03 December 2008 - 14:56, rcbakewell said:
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Here are a few photos taken in late November 2008 by Rob Bakewell in Coon Hollow.
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August Work Party Takes on Maytens
08 September 2008 - 17:06, jfred decker said:
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We returned to the hill above McLaren Lodge with its numerous and popular, if illegal, campsites. Again, our sights were set on a huge infestation of Maytens covering portions of the hill.
Maytens spreads via fast-growing underground roots and then shoots up dense thickets of suckers that suppress nearly everything else. Gardeners know well the ancient frustration of playing “whack-a-mole” with rhizome- or root-spreading plants, but this is ridiculous. It’s like playing “whack-a-mole-ARMY”. Whack we must, so whack we will, right?
Green Neighbors: Mayten, a Tree Refugee, By Ron Sullivan, wrote recently:“The California Invasive Plants Council hasn’t listed it yet, but notes that there’s a localized infestation on Angel Island. I recall hearing about rogue maytens in Strawberry Canyon a few years ago, and up in Davis. It’s a weed in New Zealand, and they’re starting to give it the stink-eye in Spain. That’s the problem with the perfect plant, anywhere you plant it.”
Well, I’ll tell ya, we’re sure giving it the stink-eye here in San Francisco, too!
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