Manzanitas

Описание: Common manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.) tree-shrubs that experienced extreme branch dieback as a result of the historical drought here in northern California. Even though the drought ended roughly 3-4years ago, some plants are slower to recover. Considering it took twice as long for this manzanita patch to even show signs of stress at all. In fact the dieback (black or grey branches opposed to the dark-reddish brown wood) didn't set in until rain came back regularly! Manzanita shrubs have evolved to survive the hot dry summers and the occasional drier winters. After nearly 10 years of taking whatever water in that they could get, these guys but off a bit more they could chew and too quickly! Manzanitas are slow growers, and slow to die which they don't do easily, short of cutting down the whole plant. Id rather just remove the dieback. The benefits heavily outweigh any "risks" manzanita may pose. Removal of dead wood removes risk of fire. The evergreen leathery leaves and dense, green wood that hold in moisture is more likely to keep a fire from spreading than not. But when green turns to black and that black wood, still dense yet dry, catches fire; thats where the fire spreads through.
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