In 1906, the Santa Fe Railway – a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & the Santa Fe – purchased a 9,000-acre plot in southern California. Their plan was to use the land to grow their own railroad ties. Their tree of choice was Eucalyptus globulus, for a few reasons. Eucalyptus can grow up to 480 feet; even taller than the redwoods. It grows extremely fast, up to 125 feet in as little as three years. And, though eucalyptus can’t handle chilly temperatures, it’s extremely drought tolerant, only needing regular watering the first year or two. So, the railway planted 3.5 million eucalyptus trees over the next eight years. Then they learned those tall, beautiful, aromatic trees made terrible railroad ties. The young wood was far too soft. They ditched the plan and created a Spanish Colonial Revival village instead. Most of the 3.5 million trees are still there. The failed railroad ties have become a fragrant urban forest.
No comments:
Post a Comment