Commentary

Seek a compromise on eucalyptus trees

By Les Landin

During the recent discussions of the Saratoga grammar school expansion plans, problems have surfaced regarding two giant eucalyptus trees (E.T.s) located near construction areas. Some feel the E.T.s should be removed to expedite construction and for safety reasons. Others want the E.T.s to remain for their historical heritage and the shade they provide.

Both groups have studied the issue and have many strong arguments both pro and con. Fifty years ago, I started teaching in the shade of these trees and we've seen a lot of history. Here is some local E.T. history and thoughts about removal.

The E.T.s were brought to California from Australia in the 1800s when our new state was badly in need of shade trees both in the south and north. The E.T.s were not natives, but neither were a lot of our ancestors who came here at that time, and they both took hold quickly.

The first attempt to remove these trees was made in 1922. They had gone through some tough winter storms that year and survived. This and the shade they provided for school children and outdoor programs on hot days convinced the city fathers that the E.T.s should be spared from the ax. Saratoga historian Willys Peck tells me that in the early '30s, his classmates climbed on acting bars attached to the E.T.s and looked clear over to Moffett Field where they could see the giant dirigible Macon leave its hangar and rise into the sky. Saratoga School was the only school in town at that time, so eighth-grade graduation ceremonies were practiced in the shade of the E.T.s on the hot June days. In the early '40s, the giant trees were used as a rendezvous point for civil defense air raid drills. The annual Father-Son Baseball Game brought the whole town up to see the Saratoga eighth-grade champs whip the dads. Some of us remember when Mr. Cox smashed a left-field fly over the tallest E.T.

When I started teaching in '49, I learned from old pros like Principal Dan Ungaro, the creative art teacher Carolyn Hayes and the legendary Dorothy Nuneley that we had giant audiovisual aids in the E.T.s. On hot days we took the kids out for classes in their shade. Students drew designs based on the leaves and limbs above us, and studied biological sciences tied to the plant, bird and animal life sheltered by the E.T.s.

Lenny Bee would take his eighth-graders out and use the E.T.s to bring algebra, geometry and trig into his math program. Students measured their height in relation to their shadows and determined the giant tree's height. Using a protractor and triangulation took them into algebra and trig.

Third- and seventh-graders were studying Australia and created and sang songs of the bush. Remember: "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree ... "? Our rendition made it to San Francisco's pioneer black-and-white public television station KQED in 1954.

Some of the fifth-graders were reading Swiss Family Robinson and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan. I got a tree surgeon friend of mine to come out and climb the E.T. wearing special safety equipment. The students were thrilled, as they were designing treehouses. At home, some skeptical dads ended up helping their kids build tree forts. Some are still around. Those were some of the E.T.s historical moments. But how about today?

There has to be compromise regarding the E.T.s. There are strong arguments on both sides of the removal issue. Construction plans could place buildings in the path of a falling tree. On the playground, a limb could fall and injure a child. During my years, I've never seen this happen; however, we once had a teacher hurt.

Wind and rain sometimes cause leaves and small branches to fall, but if it's a good game the kids shove 'em aside and run for the goal.

But maybe it doesn't have to be all or nothing at all. Maybe we can keep one or two of the giant E.T.s for the children. When a child asks my age, I'd sure like to be able to point to something that's older than me and is still alive.

Les Landin was with the Saratoga Union School District from 1949 until his retirement in the 1980s. During his years with the district, he worked as a teacher, vice principal, principal and director of the gifted program.

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