Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer
Helpful Village logo
Add me to your mailing list
Youtube channel Instagram page Facebook page
Header image for Pasadena Village showing nearby mountains and the logo of the Pasadena Village
Villager Log-in
Donate

Blog archive

November 2024

Event of Remembrance
11/22/2024

Phishing Scams: What You Need to Know
11/22/2024

Pupusas Family Style: Another Adventurous Dining Winner
11/22/2024

Celebrating the Holidays
11/21/2024

Genealogy Group: Discovering Our Pasts
11/21/2024

Nathan Wolford – From Tragedy to Ministry
11/21/2024

Pasadena Village Board of Directors: A Brief Overview
11/21/2024

President's Message
11/21/2024

The Day of the Dead (Dia de muertos)/ Mexican Culture/Community
11/21/2024

Vintage Celebration: Aging Like a Fine Wine
11/21/2024

Review of Racism in Our Local Past
11/20/2024

Creative Juices Flow in The Village
11/19/2024

Checking In by Ed Rinderle
11/15/2024

Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo
11/15/2024

I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear (Sonnet IV) by Edna St. Vincent Millay
11/15/2024

Pictures From Brueghel by William Carlos Williams
11/15/2024

October 2024

ARBORIST WALK: NOT FOR TREE HUGGERS ONLY!
10/29/2024

Bill Wishner: Visual Hunter
10/29/2024

Can a Village Group Fix Our Healthcare System?
10/29/2024

Community Board Directors Strengthen Village Board
10/29/2024

Connecting with Village Connections: The A, B, C, & D’s of Medicare @ 65+
10/29/2024

Grief is a Journey: Two Paths Taken
10/29/2024

Message from the President
10/29/2024

Promoting Informed & Involved Voters
10/29/2024

What Will Be Your Legacy?
10/29/2024

1619, Approaching the Election...
10/27/2024

Beyond and Within the Village - A Star is Born
10/17/2024

Happiness by Priscilla Leonard
10/11/2024

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
10/11/2024

Unpainted Door by Louise Gluck
10/11/2024

In the Evening by Billy Collins
10/10/2024

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
10/10/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

September 2024

August 2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

First Anniversary
08/19/2024

Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024

Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024

The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024

Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024

Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024

Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024

Future Housing Options
08/15/2024

Message from the President
08/15/2024

There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024

A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024

Haikus
08/13/2024

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024

Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024

Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024

Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024

Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024

Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024

Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024

Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024

Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024

Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024

Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024

Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024

Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024

No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024

An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024

Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024

Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024

The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024

Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

ARBORIST WALK: NOT FOR TREE HUGGERS ONLY!

By Margarite Olmos
Posted: 10/29/2024
Tags: margarite olmos, newsletter november 2024

Early on a September morning, a group of 17 Villagers met LA consulting arborist, Alison Lancaster, to take a brief “walk-and-talk” along the Gabrielino Trail near the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Altadena, an event organized by Villager Jim Hendrick. We walkers are grateful to him for this memorable experience.   

For those of us who are not native to this area, the event was an introduction to a beautiful trail and the important plant life surrounding us, exploring such topics as tree identification (a topic reminding me of my Girl Scout days many, many years ago), native versus non-native trees, the protection of native trees in our area and best practices for tree maintenance for those of us fortunate enough to have trees to preserve and enjoy. We were asked to leave our pens and notebooks behind to relax and immerse ourselves in the experience. Happily, phones were excluded from the list, which I needed to keep a record of the fabulous trees we would encounter and their identification (I strongly recommend the App “Seek” by iNaturalist which is free and created by inaturalist.org).

I was initially curious about the arborist profession and what had led Lancaster to it. She explains on her website (https://www.alca-llc.com) that she was born and raised in Crescenta Valley with Angeles National Foret (ANF) as her backyard. An office job with no windows made her miserable and a course in the Wildland Resources and Forestry program at Citrus College offered the opportunity for a new environment: “Those classes changed how I observed the world around me – I revisited my old ANF spots and for the first time I noticed the incredible variation in trees and plants, the diversity of wildlife and insects they support, and the resilience that allows them to withstand fire and extreme drought. I decided then that there was no place I’d rather be than at home in Los Angeles; nothing I want to do more than protect LA’s urban and wildland trees; and no better way to do it than as a consulting arborist. Now I work each day with one goal: helping my fellow Angelenos act as stewards of their trees.”

Our first stop was to hear an introduction of the goals of the day as we observed her favorite tree, the “coast live oak,” which is also her native-tree recommendation for those who wish to plant (a tree she so admires that she has a tattoo of the same!).

Alison made a point of indicating which were the native and non-native trees in this area which is like an open-air botanical garden arboretum. One of the more surprising things we encountered was the amount of water available at the elevated level and the riparian trees that exist due to their proximity to the same. The white alder, for example, is a riparian species native to California which helps to stabilize river banks, or the tall and beautiful Western Sycamore, also native and riparian.

While walking, Villagers were reflecting on the beauty and even a few fond memories. Later, Dan Guerrero commented, “The Gabrielino Trail was my daily walking path for 20 years. The arborist was able to open my eyes to a variety of native trees and plants that went unnoticed for all those years. I still take the trail several times a month and now I find myself looking at the landscape instead of focusing on the trail. It made the walk even more enjoyable.”

We were instructed regarding the differences between types of leaves and the reasons for the arrival of non-native varieties as well as ideas about the placement of trees, their planting and pruning, disease and management. We saw and heard about the non-native Chinese elm, native and non-native willows, the native black walnut, an incense cedar, and for “dessert” we tasted a wild cherry!

Alison took her time to explain all of this in a way that demonstrates her passion for the topic and her generosity in sharing the same with others with patience and kindness. Suzi Hoge noted her appreciation, “I enjoyed exploring a trail I had not been on before. I really enjoyed Allison's enthusiasm for her topic, trees. It was fun to learn about native trees, leaf formations, and even what poison oak looks like locally.”  Adding to this, Tamanika Ivey said, “What most impressed me on the arborist walk was the way Alison showed the inner life of the trees. She really made them come alive which made me appreciate how much the trees want to live and thrive - the way they find the sun and figure out how to reach it; the way they balance their roots to stay upright or lean as needed; the way they negotiate objects in their path.”

At the conclusion, I was reminded of a long-ago verse, I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree…

Blogs Topics Posts about this Topic