Mountain Views News Saturday, January 31, 2026 

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

[Nyerges is the author of “Guide to Wild Foods,” “Foraging California,” “How toSurvive Anywhere,” and other books. He can be reached at Box 41834, EagleRock, CA 90041, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.] 

ARE EUCALYPTUS TREES -NATIVE TO AUSTRALIA -
A DESIRABLE SPECIES? 

Eucalyptus is a tree with a mixed reputation. This stately tree is renown for the “forest effect” due to 
its rapid growth and the high transpiration rate of its leaves. According to one report, “In Sydney, a 
large gum tree [eucalyptus] transpires up to 200 litres of water a day. A well-maintained garden in 
Sydney will transpire nearly twice the volume of water as the total rainfall.” 

The tree was included in my Guide to Wild Foods book since it was so useful in its native Australia 
by the Aboriginal people: the leaves for various medicines (mostly upper bronchial issues), the bark 
for infections and many other uses, and even the little psyllid bugs can be harvested and eaten like 
a backwoods sugar. And the honey produced from eucalyptus flowers is a dark almost-medicinal 
honey. 

So is it wise to remove the eucalyptus trees and replace them with native trees? In order to fully 
grasp the effects of eucalypti on the environment, let’s look at its effect in other parts of the world. 

Eucalyptus is a fast-growing tree. When you cut them down, they will sprout right back up again. 
Because of this, there have been major plantations in various countries throughout the world from 
Europe to China to Africa in order to supply the wood for lumber, paper products, and firewood. If 
the eucalyptus trees are planted in non-agricultural areas where nothing else will grow, they survive 
quite well. A eucalyptus tree in a plantation can be cut for wood or timber in as short a time as everyfour years. 

Around the time that the U.S. was experiencing long gas lines during the 1970s ”energy crisis,” 
many countries around the world discovered that the eucalyptus tree seemed like a miracle tree. It 
grew easily anywhere, and could be regularly harvested for fuel wood, building materials, and pulpfor paper. It was also a financial boom to the public and private businesses in various countries who 
grew these plantations. Today, eucalyptus is the number one tree planted in plantations around the 
world. With so many undeniable benefits, what could go wrong?
Over the last 30 to 40 years, countless business, governmental, and academic studies have been done 
to weigh the pros and cons of the largescale use of the eucalyptus tree. 

There were very real worries about deforestation and desertification that began in the 1980s. Eucalyptus 
trees, with its obvious economic benefits, were planted in ever-greater numbers. Today we 
can analyze the ecological effects of over 30 years of eucalyptus plantations. 

Because the eucalyptus tree is such a great transpirer, it follows that it generally consumes far more 
water than other native or non-native trees. In fact, one of the stated reasons that eucalyptus is 
planted in certain countries is to dry up swamps and wet areas, either for development or because 
the wet area was believed to be a source of malaria. The deep roots of eucalyptus, and their extensive 
network of small surface roots, has been noted to extend deep to the water table. 

Although a eucalyptus plantation does very well in dry areas where nothing else is growing, in areas 
as diverse as China, Ethiopia, Vietnam, etc, local villagers of these diverse places have noted that 
their water wells run dry. In fact, this seems to be one of the main objections to eucalyptus plantations: 
it dries up the local water sources since it generally consumes more water than is received by 
rain in any given area, which then means there is far less water for agricultural crops and orchards. 

In studies done to determine if the leaf drop from eucalyptus is "allelopathic" (exuding soil toxins), 
various plants grown in a mixture of eucalyptus mulch and soil have exhibited a germination rate as 
low as 3%, compared to normal rates of germination with an oak mulch. 

Another argument against the eucalyptus plantations is that there is a great depletion of soil nutrients. 
In general, eucalyptus take up more nutrients (and water) from the soil than other native 
or non-native trees because they are fast-growing. And, in theory, if all the leafy matter was left on 
the ground (as opposed to cleaning it up), those nutrients would degrade and enrich the soil. But 
unfortunately, eucalyptus mulch takes a very long time to be degraded by bacteria and fungus due 
to its oils, and so in actual practice, the soils around eucalyptus tend to be very desert-like due to 
the unavailability of nutrients. [Source: The Effect of Eucalyptus and Oak Leaf Extract on California 
Native Plants, Kam Watson, UC Berkley] 

This effect results in the lack of biodiversity and understory that is commonly observed under and 
around eucalyptus trees, in stark contrast to native forests. 

One study was also done with soil under the eucalyptus trees, along with a soil sample not influenced 
by eucalyptus. Soil samples from under eucalyptus trees proved to be less able to absorb 
water. This meant that though eucalyptus trees have been planted in areas to reduce runoff and 
flooding, this result is not usually successful because of the effect of the tree’s oil on the soil. These 
same results have been documented in eucalyptus plantations in China, Kenya, Ethiopia, Vietnam, 
and other sites. 

Kenya Forest Service has published guidelines, basically aimed at promoting eucalyptus plantations 
in the country, called “A Guide to On-Farm Eucalyptus Growing in Kenya”, December 2009. Theyadvise not growing eucalyptus in wetlands and marshy areas, and riparian areas. They advise not 
growing eucalyptus closer than 30 meters from rivers, and ideally 50 meters, so that the trees do not 
adversely interfere with the water source. 

They add that other areas where eucalyptus should not be planted include around lakes, ponds, 
swamps, estuaries and any other body of standing water. They advice that eucalyptus not be planted 
closer than 50 meters to farm lands, and other measures. In other words, even those who are pro-
eucalyptus recognize the adverse effects of eucalyptus on the environment, and offer ways to minimize 
those effects. 

Though there are medicinal benefits to the eucalyptus tree, there are better native trees to plant 
which provide the same benefit. 


RESTORATION CONCERT 

February 8, 2026 

Italian-born pianist Rodolfo Leone will be performing a solo recital of Beethoven and 
Chopin at the Restoration Concerts on Sunday, February 8, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Mr. 
Leone was the first-prize winner of the 2017 International Beethoven Piano Competition 
Vienna. and is described as “a true sound philosopher” (Oberösterreichische 
Nachrichten). Tickets will be available at the door for $25 or online at https://www.
friendsofsopaslibrary.org/restoration-concerts for $26. The concert is presented by 
the Restoration Concerts Committee of the Friends of the South Pasadena Public 
Library and will be held in the beautiful historic Library Community Room at 1115 
El Centro St. in South Pasadena. 

Pianist Rodolfo Leone is acclaimed for his powerful technique and poetic expression. 
His performances have taken him to venues such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, 
Vienna’s Musikverein, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. 

Recent concerto highlights include appearances with the San Diego Symphony, 
Pasadena Symphony, and Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, performing works byBeethoven, Liszt, and Ravel. A passionate chamber musician and recitalist, Leone has 
collaborated with Demarre McGill, appeared on Performance Today, and recorded 
albums for Gramola and Naxos. 

He serves on the Piano Faculty at the Colburn Music Academy in Los Angeles and 
has held residencies and masterclasses across the U.S. Leone holds both a Master of 
Music and Artist Diploma from the Colburn Conservatory, and previously studied in 
Berlin and Pesaro, Italy. 

The Restoration Concerts Committee, a committee of the non-profit organization, 
The Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library, has a goal to bring world-class 
music at an affordable price to the concertgoers in South Pasadena and surrounding 
communities. As the name suggests, net proceeds from the concerts provide 
for restorations, enhancements and other benefits to the South Pasadena Library 
and Community Room. For more information about Restoration Concerts, contact 
restorationconcerts@gmail.com or go to https://www.friendsofsopaslibrary.org/
restoration-concerts. 


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