The nearly unkillable eucalyptus meets its match
In 2020, Albany Hill went bald. Most of its blue gum eucalyptus trees lost all their leaves. From Interstate 80, roaring below, the hill looked dead and brown. This bump of urban forest, popular with joggers and dog-walkers, rises sharply some 338 feet from the East Bay floodplain, though it looks taller from afar thanks to its shaggy eucalyptus hairdo. … For some, eucalyptus trees are dangerous intruders that must be eradicated. They are, undeniably, pervasive invasives. They’re messy, leaving curls of peeling bark draping toward the ground. They guzzle water, dominate landscapes, and are difficult to remove.