A Day in the Life: How This Tree Inspired a City
By Robert Booty, RCA #487
Recently I had the privilege of completing a project I started in 2013.
Back then the City of Palo Alto, located in California; asked if I would be interested in performing a noninvasive long term (10yrs.) health study on their iconic tree, "The El Palo Alto Redwood."
My knowledge about this tree at the time was limited. I soon found out that this tree is the #2 landmark for the state of California, and the City of Palo Alto was named after this tree, so it was very special. What a privilege it has been for me to work with the city and their tree over these years.
From the beginning, as I began the testing, I started video documenting our activities. My hope was that in time a documentary could be put together using my on-site footage of this very special project and tree. To keep the project non-invasive we used Ground Penetrating Radar to image the trunk. We also used that same technology to document the location of the tree roots down a 30ft. concrete retaining wall.
We used a series of drone studies to monitor the health of the tree canopy over the years. In 2023 this project came to an end. The task of completing the documentary was a long challenge, it is 50 minuets long. I donated my time and resources for this project including the development of this video. Enjoy.
Link: How this tree inspired a city | El Palo Alto (Documentary)
