The Oak Tree Team! From left to right: Mary Ann Hannon, Conni Naylor, and Michael White.
On Aug. 16, 2020, lightning started a wildfire in Upper Sycamore Grove Park. The fire burned down slope into Lower Sycamore Park. About 180 acres were burned. While surveying the burn area soon after, Ranger/Naturalist, Amy Wolitzer, noticed that valley oaks in the Valley View drainage were turning green and even putting out catkins (oak tree flowers). She shared her observations with Mary Ann Hannon, Open Space volunteer, who shared Amy’s interest in native plants. Both were curious about the trees greening up so soon after being burned. After consulting with Hugh Safford, Regional Ecologist, US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region and reading several papers on fire and oaks, Amy and Mary Ann decided to organize a volunteer project to observe the recovery of valley oaks burned in the fire. The “burned oak” volunteer observers were Conni Naylor, Michael White (also photographer), Shawna Soren, (also Google Docs creator), Mary Ann Hannon, (also recorder).
Lightning strike in Sycamore Grove Park. Photo by Kirk Williams
Epicormic growth on a Valley Oak tree.
Tree 3 in January 2021
Tree 3 in May 2021
The Oak Tree Team! From left to right: Mary Ann Hannon, Conni Naylor, and Michael White.
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Website Accessibility Statement
Livermore Area Recreation and Park District is fully committed to providing accessible facilities, elements and
channels of communication to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, Livermore Area Recreation and Park District
has a policy of providing an accessible website compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and
commercial screen reading software. All features of the website are coded to allow individuals with vision and
other impairments to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without disabilities. We welcome
feedback and can often resolve issues in a timely manner if they arise.
If you need any special assistance or accommodations:
Livermore Area Recreation and Park District has designated a compliance officer for website disability-related accommodations.
The compliance officer has received training in website accessibility and updates the site in accordance with those best
practices. Contact our accessibility officer to report an issue.
Compliance Procedures and Reports
In addition to testing with users with a wide range of disabilities and coding our website to WCAG standards,
Livermore Area Recreation and Park District regularly scans its website to ensure ongoing compliance, and makes timely
changes to any inaccessible changes, if any are found.
Linked Documents and Third Parties
Please note that this site may link out to third-party websites, such as state or federal agencies, that do
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we are happy to assist any member of the public with reading and accessing content on our site.