Water conservation leaves devastating consequence for trees

CONCORD, Calif. -- The drought in California is drying out trees in the Bay Area and across the state. ABC affiliate KGO-TV took a closer look at how water conservation is having unintended consequences.

Add another set of victims to the California drought -- in this case, they aren't people, but trees.

Arti Kirch of the Markham Regional Arboretum in Concord can recognize the signs of a tree in trouble. She can tell trees are dying of thirst. In this fourth year of the statewide drought, you can see trees with peeling bark, brown branches and the thin tops of trees.

In yards across the state, it is a common mistake for homeowners to turn off the water to their lawns and forget to water their trees.

In Walnut Creek, Gail Frick Barmby has put more than three decades of love and care into her backyard. This drought year has been the biggest challenge, yet. She had a little help from her gardener, Bird Morningstar.

"The drought is serious. It's the fourth year. We had one in the 90s and 80s, and a big one in the 70s, and a lot of trees here had to get through all of those...," he said.

Morningstar's methods are tried and true from drip irrigation, to building a small well around the base of a tree to keep water from flowing away, to enriching the soil and mulch, to watering at night.

Frick Barmby's yard has responded well, even in this tough time.

"It is OK to have things not as aesthetic, but maintaining the trees is most important. It helps the environment to have the trees survive," she said.

Nothing is perfect, even in a drought year, except maybe finding a balance between water conservation and holding on to the yards we love so much.