After boxing ficus (see Patti’s blog ” Borrowed by Browse” ), I met up with Bob, the San Diego Zoo’s eucalyptus expert. He’s been growing and harvesting these trees for 19 years! We headed off grounds to Miramar Naval Air Station, one of the many harvest areas around town. Many of us in California can recognize eucalyptus trees in the landscape. They were introduced to the state in the early 1800s as a source of wood for railroad ties. Eucalyptus species have a lot of oils that protect the tree from pests and decay, so railroad builders figured it would be very durable. As it turned out, the wood splintered easily (definitely not railroad material). The trees, however, thrived in our climate and are some of the most widely planted non-natives in California.

Bob headed straight for a group of trees with a lot of new growth at the tips. Because of the toxins that protect the tree, koalas prefer the new growth, which is easier to digest. In order to have a supply of fresh tips all year round, harvesting is selective and sites are visited on a rotational schedule that Bob keeps in his head. Having done this for so many years, I guess it becomes second nature.

We worked together, Bob snipping off branches about the thickness of a finger and between 4 and 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 meters) long, me wrapping them in bundles of 80 or so and securing them with twine saved from the hay bales at the Zoo. (We recycle all sorts of stuff!) There’s a technique to wrapping a bundle so it stays together. I stack the branches across the twine so that the cut ends, or butts, are all lined up evenly with the twine about 18 inches (46 centimeters) up along the stem. After creating a pile, one end of the twine goes through a loop at the other end and is pulled tight, compressing the branches. Once it’s cinched together, I tie it off and lift it onto the truck. When done properly, the butts stay together and fit easily into the water barrels in the big walk-in cooler back at the koala barn. Each day, we deliver 10 to 15 bundles of branches.

I understand now why the Browse Team starts so early in the morning. Harvesting while it’s cool keeps the leaves fresh and provides the keepers with high quality food to offer their charges.

Patti Turkle is a bus driver/guide at the San Diego Zoo.

Here’s more information about our plants and gardens.

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