It could have been worse right?
Hotels, motels, large shopping center, paved parking lots.
I see nothing wrong with the expansion of a very fertile growing area for Grapes.
Probably more cut down many years ago for orchards…some of which have in turn been replaced by vineyards. But just because large-scale clearing of oak woodland was done in the past doesn’t make it a responsible action now. Doesn’t strike me as good stewardship of the land.
Pretty easy to tell from the satellite view where oak woodland would have been in areas that are now orchards and vineyards. Clusters of oaks tend to be in swales and on the north side of slopes, so you can tell what the topography of the land is even without a 3D view.
Except that the wines are awful.
To me the issue is water and the lack thereof. I not believe that the trees cut down consumed anywhere near the water that thousands of grape vines will.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but, what’s your basis for that? I haven’t looked at that question in over a decade, but if I recall it turns out to be much more complicated than you might think.
The winemaking/winery processes use a lot more water than the vines IIRC.
I’m sure all the environmentalists on their high horse about Justin only drink wines that come from vineyards where no mature trees were cleared for their planting, right?
For example, Piedmont:
Burgundy:
Germany:
Santa Cruz Mountains:
Mendocino:
I guess we should rename the town, “The Passing of the Oaks”.
The Oak trees cut down are spaced, in many instances, dozens of yards apart. Many have died from disease and water shortages. The vines will be watered. But what is not up to dispute is the severe water shortage and the significant lowering of the water table. There simply is not enough water to sustain this kind of agriculture on a long term basis.
It is not just the cutting down of Oaks but the landing of water consuming vines in areas where no Oaks were in place.
I suspect that in tact oak woodlands holds a lot more carbon than a vineyard, particularly if the soil is tilled and or herbicided regularly. The vines take in a lot of carbon, but much of that is cut off and burned on a yearly basis. Pruning. Large oak trees hold a lot. Have you ever noticed how much heat comes from a small piece of oak? In tack grassland holds a surprising amount of carbon from what I have seen as well.
Recently along Hwy 246 west of Buellton a very large grove of Eucalyptus trees was cut down. Nobody said anything. Similarly PG&E levelled a long line of Pine trees growing under their power lines. They cut up the trees into firewood size and left it alongside the road. Again, nobody said anything. There are lot of tree huggers in Santa Barbara County but they only get excited about oak trees. I do not get it.
Since Eucalyptus trees are not native and can actually be harmful to some native vegetation - and with their tendency to fall over during high winds as well as to burn quickly - there’s generally little complaint when they’re taken out. Some cities and counties encourage their removal. A couple of them blew over and almost crashed into the house of someone I know in Marin County a few years ago.
Did anyone read the Facebook comments?
Some people are hypothesizing that it’s to get at the underground water supply claiming that there are numerous wells in the cleared area. Not sure what their source is but it makes for an interesting and more devious twist.
OK, but that has nothing to do with cutting down oaks. That’s a critique of viticulture generally. Are you opposed to any new vineyards in CA?
Again, ‘suspect’ has nothing to do with it, and you’re ignoring albedo which is virtually an equally important factor.
Andrew and Ken, how do you manage to avoid supporting wineries which produce wines from vineyards where mature trees were cleared, and wineries located in regions where water is scarce? I guess that should go 10x for the produce you eat, since nearly all fruits and vegetables require more water than wine vineyards.
Obviously a rhetorical question, and I apologize if it was a little overly sharp. But you see the point. What is it about Justin and this one vineyard that makes it different from all the places where the wine and produce you are quite comfortable consuming every day originated? Is it just that someone has photos and started a campaign about it?
Chris I would hope we have matured enough to have learned from our past (mistakes). There are so many things we did in the past that are no longer acceptable. Hopefully.
Would you be equally outraged if, say, Ridge cleared some more acreage to expand on of its vineyards in the SCM (which were presumably cleared from thick forest originally)? Or if any of the vineyards Myriad produces from cleared some trees to plant more vines?
I’m just trying to understand what it is about this expansion by Justin that is so different.
Here’s a photo of the Monte Bello Vineyard, by the way:
It has to do with both cutting down trees and water. In Paso they go hand in hand. Let me explain why you are wrong. Either native Oak trees will or will not survive on naturally occurring rainfall. In effect they are dry farmed. Not only are you losing irreplaceable trees many years old, but you are replacing them with plants which will not be dry farmed. Much sooner than later, as this drought continues, there will be no dry farming left at all as the water table will be too low for the roots to reach.
Right now I am opposed to any and all new vineyard planting. You do not seem to comprehend that we are dealing with a drought of historical proportions.
On top of that, a significant amount of bottled water comes from CA. That’s right, we are exporting huge amounts of water to other states. Bottled Water Comes From the Most Drought-Ridden Places in the Country – Mother Jones
Are you suggesting wineries are in business for purely altruistic reasons?