Ventura County Landmark No. 3: Eucalyptus Trees Along U.S. Route 101
Eucalyptus trees have a rich, complicated history in Southern California. Originally native to Australia, Eucalyptus trees were brought to the state in the 1870s by Ellwood Cooper to serve as windbreaks on agricultural lands to save crops from being destroyed in the wind (Ballantine et al., 1981).
In 1892, Adolfo Camarillo planted 650 eucalyptus trees along the old two-lane El Camino Real near that city’s eastern entrance. The El Camino Real would later become the U.S. Route 101 freeway, and this grove of Eucalyptus trees became a Ventura County landmark in 1978 (U.S. Department of Transportation, n.d. ca.1980).
Widening Highway 101
In 1973, a project to widen the U.S. Route 101 freeway between Thousand Oaks and Oxnard was proposed, posing a threat to the trees. Five years later, an alternative design was approved. This plan involved rerouting the freeway around the trees since the trees were located on the median strip between the northbound and southbound lanes. The approved plan would shift the entire freeway to the south, leaving the trees along the northern side of the freeway instead of in the middle (Steele, 1982).
Hazard to Motorists
In 1982, concerns were raised about the trees posing a hazard. The trees were growing quite tall — they can reach up to 300 feet high — and the 101 freeway was getting busier by the day, resulting in a number of accidents involving motorists injured by the trees or falling branches. In addition, the condition of the trees was very poor, leaving them sick and weak. In order to improve the safety of the road, 118 of the 482 trees in the grove were removed. Eighty-four additional trees were pruned, and approximately 250 trees had their tops removed (Steele, 1982).
Additional Reading
References
Ballantine, W., Camacho, M., Sakamoto, M., Snyder, D. (1981, September). Initial Study: 07-VEN-101 12.7/13.1 In Camarillo, Calleguas Creek to 0.2 miles South of Lewis Road Removal and Trimming of Eucalyptus Trees 07216 – 02703. California Department of Transportation. (Ventura County Planning Division, Cultural Heritage Site Files).
Steele, K.D. (July 27, 1982). [Letter regarding Adolfo Camarillo Heritage Grove]. Retriever from Ventura County Planning Division Cultural Heritage Site Files (800 S. Victoria Ave. Ventura, CA 93009).
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration & State of California Department of Transportation. n.d. [ca. 1980]. Route 101 Freeway Ventura Freeway Between Thousand Oaks and Oxnard Negative Declaration. State of California Department of Transportation. (Ventura County Planning Division, Cultural Heritage Site Files).
Date Designated: October 1978
Location: Highway 101, east of Lewis Road, Camarillo
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