Fire and Wind

In early November, we experienced a devastating fire on the mountain across the Heritage Valley. In my life, this was the fifth fire I’ve witnessed here, and the destruction was heartbreaking. Many people lost homes and businesses, including our beekeeper mentor, who lost all 100 of his hives in the first hour.

Damaged avocado tree blown over by strong winds with windfall fruit on the ground.

In early November, we faced very strong and destructive East winds. These dry winds stripped 30–40% of our 2025 avocado crop and damaged the health and foliage of many trees. A few trees were completely uprooted and beyond saving.

Fallen Avocados Found Post Storm

During the storm, John and I worked to prop up the smaller trees that had snapped their support posts, salvaging as many as possible. It was a tough blow, but we’re staying optimistic.

Below windfall fruit and a new tree blown over, two views of the same tree to demonstrate the damage, from the west and the east.

Images below: Picture 1: The tree damaged on Eastern side

Picture 2: The same tree seen from the Western side

Damaged avocado tree blown over by strong winds with windfall fruit on the ground.

The same damaged tree seen from the Western side