The initial phase will inventory the citys oaks and leave basic oak care information with every residence that has an oak. Later efforts will expand and refine the OakWell database, so, for example, we can find oaks that show evidence of summer watering, which is harmful to these trees. Because native oaks are special, but seem to be disappearing. They are picturesque and characteristic of Palo Alto. They are the only trees automatically covered by Palo Alto's 1996 heritage tree ordinance.
Information can decrease some practices that threaten native oaks, for example, summer watering.
There are two goals for the 1998 dry season. Volunteer training begins in April, and work proceeds through the fall. The initial program will run from April through November. Hours are flexible but volunteers should plan on devoting 6-12 hours to OakWell. OakWell A scout circles a neighborhood's blocks making a rough count of the oaks on each block.