HOW DID I MISS ANOTHER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TREE DISPUTE?

What is it about trees in California?  
Some regional park authority in the East Bay is planning to cut down thousands of Eucalyptus trees.  Why?  Because they are flammable.  Or because they are non-native.  I’m not sure.  It's hard to tell from the reports I have seen.
Of course, there are protesters in Berkeley trying to save the trees.  Even though the trees are non-native.  Environmentalists usually want to eradicate anything that’s non-native.
Be careful if you go looking for news on this controversy.  Some of the protesters have apparently used some rather unconventional (NSFW) methods to dramatize their cause.
Via Powerline Blog.