The Palm Oil Dilemma: Saving Asia's Rainforests

Have you ever heard of palm oil products? Despite whether or not you have heard of palm oil, it is likely something you use or consume every single day, and probably several times a day. Palm oil can be found in many household products from soaps and lotions, to cereals and snacks. It is an extremely versatile oil that contributes to about half of the products one uses everyday. Unfortunately, the harvesting of palm oil is one of the leading causes of rainforest destruction in certain parts of the world. So how can we balance our needs with the needs of the world? Let’s take a look.

Palm oil is a vegetable oil that is harvested from oil palm trees. When compared to other vegetable oils like soy or canola, oil palms yield 4-10 times more oil per acre of harvested land. Because palm oil is grown more efficiently, and its derivatives can be used in so many products, the demand for palm oil has soared. Palm oil plantations have had to grow and expand to meet the rising demand for palm oil. Unfortunately, this has had a detrimental effect on local environments.

Oil palms grow best in tropical areas, so rainforests are often cut down to make room for growing plantations. Not only is the loss of rainforests detrimental to the global climate, but the expansion of palm oil plantations often leads to the displacement of indigenous groups as well. In addition, the local wildlife and plant species lose their homes and face major threats of extinction. Many animals like orangutans, rhinos, and tigers are only found in this region of the world, and if we do not strive to make the harvesting of palm oil more sustainable, we could see these species go extinct.

So what can we as consumers do about it?

One of the first steps to solving a problem is to learn more about it. To begin your journey of learning more about palm oil you can explore the products in your home. Take a look at the ingredients in products that you often use, or your favorite snacks and foods, and see if you can find palm oil or palm oil derivatives listed. This can be a little tricky because palm oil goes by several names, and it is used in the production of many ingredients. I have provided a helpful resource you can use to identify other names to be on the lookout for: Rainforest Action Network. The more you become aware of it, the easier it is to realize that palm oil is everywhere.

It is not realistic to boycott palm oil entirely. Not only is it more efficient to harvest than other vegetable oils, but it is also a major part of the economy in many countries in Southeast Asia. The loss of palm oil production could have devastating effects on the countries that rely on its production. Instead, the key is to make our production processes and supply chains for purchasing palm oil more sustainable. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, or RSPO, is an organization that encourages companies to re-evaluate their production processes and palm oil usage. The companies and groups that are a part of the RSPO have made varying levels of commitment to moving towards sustainable palm oil. Becoming a member of the RSPO is often the first step companies take to start improving the way they acquire palm oil. Many companies have also improved past this initial commitment and are well within the process of moving towards using sustainably sourced palm oil in their products.

While shopping, it is important for us as consumers to support the brands that are working to be sustainable. However, it can be very hard to research every brand and product on your list. Luckily, there are many organizations that make this process as easy as possible. A good first step is to look for certain logos on the packaging of products like the ones pictured below.  

These logos signify that the product has been evaluated by different organizations and that the product has met certain sustainable production standards. There are also smartphone apps that make it very easy to compare brands based on their palm oil usage. The “Sustainable Palm Oil Shopping” app created by the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado, is a great resource to use when you are at the store. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo researches the brands and companies for you, and rates them on a color scale so you know how committed they are to sustainable palm oil. A green rating is excellent, yellow is good, and orange is okay. You can use this app to search products and determine the best brands to buy from that support sustainable palm oil efforts.

What if your favorite products haven’t made the commitment to sustainability? Reach out to them! Let companies know that sustainability should be a priority. In addition to the shopping app, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has example letters that you can use to contact companies regarding their use of palm oil. They also have campaigns to reach out to large companies that haven’t made the commitment to sustainable palm oil yet.

In the fight for a better future, small changes can add up to make a huge difference. Joining the effort for more sustainable shopping is a great way to protect forests all over the world!

Interview with Tree Amigo Brandon Muliadi

Get to know more about one of our special Tree Amigos, Brandon! As one of our younger volunteers, we want to highlight his commitment to this organization.

What does it take to be a Tree Amigo? To become a Tree Amigo you must go through a 5 session training. The training consists of an overview of our organization, a community nursery work day, a community planting event, a tree care and stewardship class, and a Lawn Busters lawn conversion project. In this interview we talk about getting involved with OCF, serving the community, and other fun topics. 

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Ice breakers / Intro to Brandon:

1. If you could have any superpower what would it be?

   Telepathy, as long as I can turn it off at will. It seems like the most useful superpower.

2. If you could have one song play every time you entered a room what would it be?

   Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley

3. If you could live in a movie which one would it be? 

   DC and Marvel both have a lot of near world ending experiences. Okay the world ends many times in those universes so, uh, probably not those. There can’t be many others though. DC seems slightly safer though, so that one.

4. What do you put into the bowl first, milk or cereal? 

   I don’t use milk in my cereal at all. I eat it plain with a lot of water but I don’t put the water in my cereal.

5. What are 5 things you would want to have during a zombie apocalypse?

   A spear, cause it would actually kill zombies faster than a gun, several years supply of food and water, a tent, farming tools, and a lot of friends.

6. Tell me about yourself. Is there anything you want people to know about you? What grade you are in, hobbies, if you have any pets?

   I’m in eighth grade and my hobbies are aquariums and gardening. Oh and doing surveys, well, doing surveys for money. Oh and sport video games, I especially like puzzle games like tetris. I also play the flute. I’ve been playing for the past few years. I do have one pet. Well actually it depends how you look at it. I have a beta fish, six shrimp, and probably like 20 something aquatic snails in my aquarium. It's doing pretty well so far.

7. What inspires you?

   Being happy and making other people happy. And a person who inspires me? Maybe Stephen Hawking.

Involvement with OCF:

1. Do you have a favorite shrub/tree? Favorite tool?

   I don’t have a favorite shrub, but I have a favorite tree - the Monterey pine. Right now my favorite tool is probably a spade. I don’t do as much gardening on the ground nowadays. I used to do more but nowadays I stick to container gardening

2. When did you start volunteering with OCF and why did you choose to start volunteering with OCF?

   The first time I volunteered was maybe over a year ago for a Boy Scouts thing. Then I went back to volunteering with OCF for a Boy Scouts badge, but now I’m just doing it because it’s fun.

3. What is your favorite thing about OCF and being a Tree Amigo?

   Well, I Iike plants so mostly that. I enjoy planting plants, but I’ve also spent a lot of time just researching them.

4. What motivated you to become a tree amigo rather than serving as a volunteer?

   I think it was because it was on the website, the OCF website as a way to volunteer. There aren’t that many volunteer opportunities available, well there's actually a couple I think, and the Tree Amigos is just an additional one.

5. How are you enjoying the process to become a Tree Amigo?

   Well it’s pretty fun! But I would say that presenting a slide show over zoom is not as engaging as doing it in person.

6. How has OCF impacted you? / Has it inspired you to pursue a certain topic/career?

   Well I did do a fair bit of research for my blog posts like the one on the Monterey Pine.

7. Do you see yourself using the experience you’ve gotten from OCF in the future?

   Yeah I think I do. Gardening is something I’ve enjoyed my entire life and I think OCF will help me.

8. What advice/tips would you tell someone who is interested in volunteering (or becoming a TA) that has never worked with OCF before?

   Well I’d say volunteering is definitely worth it and the Tree Amigo program is pretty nice.

Thank you for all you do Brandon! We appreciate you!

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To learn more about our Tree Amigo program and how to become one:

A Brief History and Guide to California’s Native Oaks

Part 1: What is an oak tree?

Oak trees belong to the genus Quercus meaning “fine tree” in Latin. They are native to the northern hemisphere and consist of some 600 species. Oak trees are unique because of their fruit, the acorn, which is key in identifying oak species. They are known for being multi-trunked and growing wide canopies with sprawling, scraggly branches.

Part 2: A (Brief) History of Oaks In California 

The history of oaks in California is long and storied. Oaks have long had a place in Californian culture. We celebrate these trees that once covered a third of the land in the names of our cities, towns, and schools (think Oakland, Encino, Paso Robles, Live Oak High School...the list goes on). The native oaks of California once dominated the landscape. Accounts of Spanish explorers mention their awe at the sight of the abundance of oaks around them. However, those with the strongest connection to the oaks of California were and are indigenous people.

Map of the Ohlone peoples and their neighbors
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohlone

The people native to Santa Clara Valley are known as the Ohlone, which is a name that encompasses 50 separate tribes ranging from the South Bay all the way down to Monterey. Native oaks of California are ingrained in their society as a resource both physically and spiritually. Acorns were the primary food source for the Ohlone prior to the arrival of the Spanish and were held in high regard amongst the native people. Anthropologists estimate 75% of native Californians relied on acorns in their daily diet. Their new year, a joyous occasion, was marked by the acorn harvest. The Ohlone people would dance amongst the oak groves each year to promote a good harvest. During the acorn harvest, entire families would go out and collect the acorns of a large tree, which took about a day. The women would then prepare the acorns by shelling them and using a mortar and pestle, grinding the acorns into a fine powder. After being ground, the acorn flour would undergo the lengthy process of leaching the bitter tannins from the acorns which made them unpalatable. After the tannins were leached, the acorn flour was much sweeter and easier to eat and could be used to make soups, mush, and even bread (I myself love acorn bread). Excess unground, shelled acorns could be stored up to 10 years. The preparation of acorns was not just fulfilling a necessity. It was also a time for social connection during which the women could talk amongst themselves and share stories of their lives and even gossip. 

“Acorn use by California Native Americans” by Kathleen McKeehen
https://www.science-art.com/image/?id=1841

The oaks were also vital to the Ohlone as markers for the changing of seasons. They were able to develop a sense of time by watching the changes in the oak trees such as the arrival of buds, flowers, and acorns as well as the loss of leaves in some species. This would tell them when animals, such as bears, would be coming to gather acorns and have their share of the feast. 

In addition to food and a marker of time, the indigenous people of California made use of the oaks in many other ways. The tannins leached from acorns, as well as bark from the trees, could be used as a dye. The pigments were used to color animal skins, make ceremonial face paints, and even for tattooing. Tribes were known to use insect galls, leaves, and fungi growing on acorns for medicinal purposes such as cleaning wounds and stopping infections.

The Amah-Mutsun

https://slconservancy.org/inspire/native-american-culture/

Unfortunately, the arrival of the Spanish did not bode well for the native people nor the oaks of California. The Spanish introduced grazing animals and felled oak forests to make room for their agricultural enterprises. They also saw value in the lumber of oak trees, leading to even more deforestation. Before the native people could do anything to prevent them, the Spanish had dramatically damaged the relationship between the people and the oaks. Tribes like the Ohlone could no longer rely on the acorn as their primary food source and were forced to go to missions which actively discouraged and punished their traditional ways of living. Being forced into the Catholic way of living as a means to survive without their once plentiful native lands severely disrupted the Ohlone people and their connection to the land. Nowadays, many of their descendants view the oak tree and acorns as a reminder of their past and the traditional values that were stripped from their ancestors. 

As time went on, the modernization and further settlement of California has pushed the oak trees into smaller and smaller areas. In 1994, sudden oak death caused by a fungus known as phytophthora ramorum (pronounced fai-toff-thor-ah rah-more-um) furthered the loss of oaks. An estimated one million oak trees have been lost to sudden oak death in California. The destruction of oak woodlands has threatened the lives of native Californian wildlife as well with more than 300 species dependent on them.

All hope is not lost, of course. Recent movements for urban forestry (like Our City Forest) and the restoration and protection of oak trees give hope to restoring the oaks in California that we all owe so much to. Additionally, the restoration of oaks serves to repay for the injustices faced by the native tribes of California and as a reminder of the people with the strongest connection to this land.

Part 3: A General Guide to Native Oaks of California

I want to preface this section with a disclaimer. As I mentioned before, there are some 600 species of oaks worldwide. This section only covers a few of those native to California, of which there are 20 species. The arrival of the Spanish and further settlement of California has introduced many other foreign species of oaks which you may run into around the Bay Area.

*The images are from Michael Lee’s illustrated poster of Native Oaks, the photos are from each species’ wikipedia page, and descriptions are from Pacific Coast Trees by Howard E. McMinn and Evelyn Maino

California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii

• Size: 30 to 80 feet tall

• Range: Lower and middle mountain slopes and the foothills in the Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada to the mountains of southern California

• Acorn: Cup covers ⅓  to ½ of the nut, rounded at the apex, 1 to 1 ½ inches long

• Leaf: Lobed with 1 to 4 bristle-tipped teeth, 4 to 8 inches long, 2 ½ to 4 inches wide

Blue Oak, Quercus Douglasii

• Size: 20 to 60 feet tall

• Range: Lower dry mountain slopes and rocky foothills of the middle and inner Coast Ranges, the Sierra Nevada, and the Sierra Liebre

• Acorn: Cup covers ¼  to ⅓ of the nut, variable in shape, commonly ovoid, ¾ to 1 ¼ inches long

• Leaf: shallow lobes can also be ovoid, bluish green, 1 ½ to 4 inches long, ¾ to 2 inches wide

Canyon Live Oak, Quercus Chrysolepis

• Size: 25 to 50 feet tall

• Range: Mountain canyons and on moist ridges and flats of the Coast Ranges of southern Oregon and California, the lower and middle slopes of western Sierra Nevada and mountains of Southern California

• Acorn: Shallow cup with thick walls, ovoid or oblong, 1 to 1 ¼ inches long

• Leaf: Thick, leathery, elliptic-oblong or ovate, yellow underneath, spiny-toothed ¾ to 3 inches long, ½ to 1 ¾ inches wide

Coast Live Oak, Quercus Agrifolia

• Size: 30 to 75 feet high

• Range: Lower mountain slopes, rocky hills, and on valley flats of the Coast Ranges from Sonoma and Napa counties southward towards the mountains of southern California

• Acorn: Cup covers ⅓ of the nut, slender and pointed, 1 to 1 ½ inches long

• Leaf: Stiff, leathery, oval to almost round, glossy and pale beneath, spine tipped

Engelmann/Mesa Oak, Quercus engelmannii

• Size: 20 to 50 feet high

• Range: Foothills between the coast and the mountains of San Diego County

• Acorn: Cup covers ¼ to ⅓ of the nut, ovoid, ¾ to 1 inch long

• Leaf: Stiff, leathery, oblong to obovate, pale underneath, 1 to 3 inches long, ½ to 1 inch wide

Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizenii

• Size: 25 to 75 feet tall

• Range: Lower mountain slopes and foothills of the Sierra Nevada from Kern County northward to Mount Shasta, southward in the Great Valley and Inner Coast Range

• Acorn: Cup covers ¼ to ½ of the nut, oblong and pointed, 1 to 1½ inches long

• Leaf: Stiff, leathery, oblong to ovate, glossy and dark above, pale underneath, 1 to 3 inches long, ¾ to 1 ¾ inches wide

Island Oak, Quercus Tomentella

• Size: 20 to 40 feet tall

• Range: Santa Catalina, San Clemente, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and Guadalupe islands (not occurring on mainland)

• Acorn: Cup covers ⅓ to ½ of nut, ovoid, rounded, ¾ to 1 ¼ inches long

• Leaf: Thick and leathery, elliptic to oblong, dark green above, pale beneath, prominent veins, swollen teeth

Oregon White Oak, Quercus garryana

• Size: 35 to 60 feet tall

• Range: Coast Ranges of California to Marin County, Sierra Nevada to eastern Shasta County

• Acorn: Shallow cup covers ⅓ of the nut, ovoid, rounded, ¾ to 1 inch long

• Leaf: Wide, deeply 5- to 9-lobed, unequally toothed, dark green and glossy above, pale beneath, 3 to 4 inches long, 2 or 3 inches wide

Valley Oak, Quercus Lobata

• Size: 40 to 125 feet high

• Range: Sacramento, San Joaquin, and adjacent valleys, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, inner and middle Coast Ranges south to San Fernando Valley

• Acorn: Cup covers ¼  of the nut, long, slender, pointed, 1 ¼ to 2 inches long

• Leaf: Broader towards apex, soft, green above, pale with yellow veins beneath, 7- to 11-lobed, 2 ½ to 4 inches long, 1 ½ to 3 inches wide

Part 4: Additional Information

Any sources I gathered information from are listed in the references at the end but I want to spotlight a few fascinating links and an acorn bread recipe to check out (acorns start to fall September to October)

• The Ohlone and the Oak Woodlands: Cultural Adaptation in the Santa Clara Valley: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/72850353.pdf

• Past and Present Acorn Use in Native California:
  https://sipnuuk.karuk.us/system/files/atoms/file/AFRIFoodSecurity_UCB_FrankLake_003_007.pdf

• Books: Oaks of California by Bruce M. Pavlik, Secrets of the Oak Woodlands: Plants and Animals Among California’s Oaks by Kate Marianchild

• Recipe for Acorn Bread http://ports.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25519

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References

“Home.” Rausser College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley, nature.berkeley.edu/garbelottowp/?p=1749.

“Oak.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 June 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak.

“Ohlone.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 June 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohlone#History.

“Re-Oak California.” California Native Plant Society, 11 June 2019, www.cnps.org/give/priority-initiatives/re-oak-california.

“Saving California's Oak Trees.” Sunset Magazine, 19 Mar. 2014, www.sunset.com/garden/flowers-plants/oak-tree.

“Sudden Oak Death.” Center for Invasive Species Research, 28 Dec. 2019, cisr.ucr.edu/invasive-species/sudden-oak-death#:~:text=It is estimated that the,of central and northern California.

“What Is Sudden Oak Death?” Sudden Oak Death, 2 Sept. 2017, www.suddenoakdeath.org/about-sudden-oak-death/.