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Gold Grows On Eucalyptus Trees (2013)

nationalgeographic.com

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Re: Gold Grows On Eucalyptus Trees (2013)

#11

Post by jet_32951 »

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8

Totally a tangent but as an Australian I'm amazed at how common eucalyptus trees are in California. They were introduced just 150 years ago and parts of California have denser eucalypt forest than Australia now. Which isn't good for California's bio diversity and given the flammability of eucalyptus is bad from a safety point of view too. There should be more of an effort to remove them.

Unlike eucalypts in Australia, in California and Hawai'i nothing eats them. Tasmanian bluegum is the most common eucalypt in that range [0]. Therefore a) they grow very rapidly, and b) are useless as structural or furniture woods. The Berkeley Hills "Tunnel" fire of 1991 [1] was driven in large measure by the presence of eucalypts. In much of northern California today, eucalypts are seen as large flammable weeds.

[0] https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/eucglo/all.h...

[1] https://www.caloes.ca.gov/FireRescueSite/Documents/CFIW-Oakl...

Re: Gold Grows On Eucalyptus Trees (2013)

#12

Post by ncmncm »

jet_32951 wrote: post #11
AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8

Totally a tangent but as an Australian I'm amazed at how common eucalyptus trees are in California. They were introduced just 150 years ago and parts of California have denser eucalypt forest than Australia now. Which isn't good for California's bio diversity and given the flammability of eucalyptus is bad from a safety point of view too. There should be more of an effort to remove them.

Unlike eucalypts in Australia, in California and Hawai'i nothing eats them. Tasmanian bluegum is the most common eucalypt in that range [0]. Therefore a) they grow very rapidly, and b) are useless as structural or furniture woods. The Berkeley Hills "Tunnel" fire of 1991 [1] was driven in large measure by the presence of eucalypts. In much of northern California today, eucalypts are seen as large flammable weeds. [0]…

We would do better to grow Acacia acuminata, Raspberry Jam Tree, in SoCal. It grows fast, and smells like raspberry jam when sawed. Australia has millions of century-old A. acu. fenceposts, 'cause they last forever. Carbon capture! The wood (like most acacia) is excellent for furniture.

https://www.australianplants.com/about.aspx

(It is not on her price list, but I know she has it.)

It is also easy to refine DMT from the fallen leaves. Or sawdust.

Re: Gold Grows On Eucalyptus Trees (2013)

#13

Post by ncmncm »

el_oni wrote: post #7
MrBuddyCasino wrote: post #4

> Gold is probably toxic to plants How so? It doesn’t react with anything.

Thats not true. Gold won't patina but it can react with things. It can replace other metals in key enzymes which will inhibit their function. You can also use it as a catalyst both heterogeneous (as nanoparticles) and homogeneous (as an organometalic complex).

Yes, you don't want stray catalysts running around loose, catalyzing things you didn't want catalyzed, willy-nilly.

Re: Gold Grows On Eucalyptus Trees (2013)

#14

Post by elboru »

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8

Totally a tangent but as an Australian I'm amazed at how common eucalyptus trees are in California. They were introduced just 150 years ago and parts of California have denser eucalypt forest than Australia now. Which isn't good for California's bio diversity and given the flammability of eucalyptus is bad from a safety point of view too. There should be more of an effort to remove them.

We used to have tons of eucalyptus trees in my hometown in northern Mexico. Then an unusual winter arrived 10 years ago, temperatures dropped to -24 Celsius. All the eucalyptuses died and with them a big percentage of our vegetation and shade. I don’t know why we are so obsessed with foreign flora in our cities.

Re: Gold Grows On Eucalyptus Trees (2013)

#15

Post by elboru »

tomcam wrote: post #10
AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8

Totally a tangent but as an Australian I'm amazed at how common eucalyptus trees are in California. They were introduced just 150 years ago and parts of California have denser eucalypt forest than Australia now. Which isn't good for California's bio diversity and given the flammability of eucalyptus is bad from a safety point of view too. There should be more of an effort to remove them.

Useless anecdata: I grew up in Southern California and absolutely adore eucalyptus trees. The smell is wondrous.

They are also great against mosquitoes

Re: Gold Grows On Eucalyptus Trees (2013)

#16

Post by el_oni »

ncmncm wrote: post #13
el_oni wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats not true. Gold won't patina but it can react with things. It can replace other metals in key enzymes which will inhibit their function. You can also use it as a catalyst both heterogeneous (as nanoparticles) and homogeneous (as an organometalic complex).

Yes, you don't want stray catalysts running around loose, catalyzing things you didn't want catalyzed, willy-nilly.

Well thats just the thing, if a gold atom were to replace say a copper atom in the active site of an enzyme, it would behave differently and more than likely in a deleterious manner.

Re: Gold Grows On Eucalyptus Trees (2013)

#17

Post by contingencies »

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8

Totally a tangent but as an Australian I'm amazed at how common eucalyptus trees are in California. They were introduced just 150 years ago and parts of California have denser eucalypt forest than Australia now. Which isn't good for California's bio diversity and given the flammability of eucalyptus is bad from a safety point of view too. There should be more of an effort to remove them.

They're also all over southern China - https://www.fao.org/3/AC772E/ac772e04.htm suggests over 1.5 billion. As well as eucalypts there are really a huge amount of street plantings of Aussie Myrtaceae, such as bottlebrush and paperbark. All are deep rooted trees, they will seek water to impressive depths. Casuarina as well, although the predominant species is endemic to much of Asia and apparently Gondwanan.

Re: Gold Grows On Eucalyptus Trees (2013)

#18

Post by steven_noble »

AnotherGoodName wrote: post #8

Totally a tangent but as an Australian I'm amazed at how common eucalyptus trees are in California. They were introduced just 150 years ago and parts of California have denser eucalypt forest than Australia now. Which isn't good for California's bio diversity and given the flammability of eucalyptus is bad from a safety point of view too. There should be more of an effort to remove them.

It's the same in parts of Spain. You take a walk in the wild, hoping to experience the local flora, and you find yourself surrounded by these highly flammable trees that have travelled as far as you have to get there. Pretty, but no more so than the displaced native flora, and disastrous from an environmental or fire management point of view.
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