The nature of tree preservation in Atascadero: 1913--2006.

摘要

Midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco along U.S. Highway 101 is the City of Atascadero, established in 1913 as a planned community from a pristine natural environment. Since its establishment, the act of preserving trees has uniquely entered the planning and development process with varied levels of success. From reviewing and comparing a selection of relevant texts, a historic narrative of city planning and tree preservation in Atascadero is provided. Gender emerges from this textual analysis as a key explanatory variable in the City's tree preservation policies. It is shown that gendered ideas toward nature in general and trees in particular have significantly shaped Atascadero's history, its tree preservation policies, and the physical landscape.; This research established three historical periods concerning city planning and tree preservation in Atascadero. These periods are categorized as follows: Fine Art in a Woman's Town (1913-1924), Business in a Businessman's Town (1925-1978), and lastly, as Cultural Monument to the People (1979-2006). Overall, it is evident that tree preservation and replanting efforts in Atascadero have been predominately initiated by women and that the large native oak tree is Atascadero's negotiated version of monumentality with ensuing development and growth.