Apple's Tree Buying Spree for Apple Park Causing Shortages

[MacRumors]

Apple is purchasing so many trees for its upcoming Apple Park campus that it's becoming challenging for other companies to source trees, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Buying trees is a surprisingly cutthroat business," reads the Chronicle in a piece about a rooftop City Park that's being built above the upcoming Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco. Adam Greenspan and Patrick Trollip, who are sourcing trees for that project, say Apple has made it hard to track down trees across California and Oregon.

And it's been especially challenging to locate desirable specimens because Apple has been buying up 3,000 trees for its new Cupertino headquarters. When Greenspan and Trollip found a tree they fancied they would "tag it" with a locking yellow tag, so that nobody else -- like Apple -- could get it. Eventually all the tagged trees were moved to a nursery in Sunol, where the transbay project team leased 4 acres.

Apple Park, Apple's second campus with the famous spaceship-shaped main building, will be completely covered in greenery. Landscaping at the site started late last year, and Apple has said it will plant more than 9,000 native and drought-resistant trees, including fruit trees.

In a separate report on Apple Park, The Economist highlighted the parking situation at the campus. For the 14,000 workers that Apple plans to have on site, Apple has built nearly 11,000 parking spaces, many of them located in underground lots beneath the main building and in two garages at the south of the campus.

In total, Apple has built 325,000 square meters of parking, compared to 318,000 square meters of offices and research buildings. So much space has been dedicated to parking due to Cupertino city laws, which require a certain number of parking spaces for employees.

Employees will begin moving into Apple Park in April, but Apple has said it will take more than six months to transition thousands of employees to the site. Smaller building construction and landscaping has not been finished and will continue into the summer, even after the campus sees its grand opening.

Article Link: Apple's Tree Buying Spree for Apple Park Causing Shortages

 

[ThaRuler]

Apple trees maybe?

 

[JosephAW]

My friend was trying to close a deal on selling over a million trees in the Chicago area. Maybe he has some.

 

[cariacou]

" including fruit trees."

I wonder what kind.

 

[AngerDanger]

I don't know what they expected. Those things don't grow on—wait.

 

[poppe]

I wonder if they'll have a parking spot issue or if that will be plenty even with guests and events.

 

[dannyyankou]

I wonder if they'll have a parking spot issue or if that will be plenty even with guests and events.

I assume not all employees will be working at once. I think it should be enough.

 

[farewelwilliams]

ask foxconn

 

[macduke]

Trees are great. All I can see out my back windows are thousands of trees, and any time I work from home I sit facing out the window so I can look at the trees and it re-energizes me. My old office had a few of these beautiful trees out my window that turned bright fire orange and yellow in the autumn and had pretty blooms in the spring. When we moved offices our team was put in the basement and it really took a big toll on me—both productivity wise, and emotionally by not getting any daylight or fresh air. So I can see why Apple is so keen to surround their beautiful windowed campus with tons of trees. It's going to be great for their employees, and look good too.

 

[now i see it]

8,000 cars leaving at 5pm & starting up in an underground parking lot. Holy cow I hope there's good ventilation down there!

 

[pnoyblazed]

first-world problems

 

[Bart Kela]

" including fruit trees."

I wonder what kind.

The varieties that used to be farmed in the area, mostly stone fruits: apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, etc.

The neighboring city of Saratoga has a heritage fruit tree orchard outside of the town's public library.

 

[IJ Reilly]

The Economist piece is a bit of curiosity. They seem to believe that parking in U.S. cities is not only universally plentiful but almost entirely free. Apparently nobody from the Economist has actually driven in a U.S. city. Might have helped with their research.

 

[Bhatu]

Wish if they could add some cheetahs, pumas, jaguars, panthers, tigers, leopards, lions and mountain lions!

 

[IJ Reilly]

The varieties that used to be farmed in the area, mostly stone fruits: apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, etc.

The neighboring city of Saratoga has a heritage fruit tree orchard outside of the town's public library.

I wonder how all these fruit trees will be maintained. This is basically farming, not one of Apple's main businesses thus far.

 

[Foggydog]

Wish if they could add some cheetahs, pumas, jaguars, panthers, tigers, leopards, lions and mountain lions!

Oh no, lions and tigers and bears oh my !

 

[Michael Scrip]

I wonder how all these fruit trees will be maintained. This is basically farming, not one of Apple's main businesses thus far.

I'm sure Apple will have people to maintain the trees.

They're not gonna take their silicon engineers and software developers and make them arborists.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I'm sure Apple will have people to maintain the trees.

They're not gonna take their silicon engineers and software developers and make them arborists.

Fruit trees have special maintenance needs. They are subject to pest infestations that need to be controlled, the fruit has to be harvested on a schedule. The people who know how to do that kind of stuff are called farmers. Whether they contract it out or handle it in house, Apple is getting into the farming business.

 

[Bart Kela]

I wonder how all these fruit trees will be maintained. This is basically farming, not one of Apple's main businesses thus far.

Apple would contract out the work to a landscape maintenance company, one that is skilled in maintaining fruit trees as well as the normal plants used in corporate campus landscaping.

It may be the same existing service that currently maintains their various building complexes in Silicon Valley.

It's not like Phil Schiller has been driving the lawn mower at 1 Infinite Loop for the past decade.

And any decent professional gardener should be able to understand and execute the basic care of common fruit trees. They're not super exotic species, homeowners grow these things in their backyards around here.

Remember, most of what is now called Silicon Valley used to be fruit tree orchards.

Of course, Apple could simply call the City of Saratoga and ask, "who maintains your heritage orchard?"

They don't need to hire rocket scientists for this.

 

[Kaibelf]

I feel like the center of this campus will be marvelous place to relax in midday in the summer. Sun, shade, fresh air.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Fruit trees have special maintenance needs. They are subject to pest infestations that need to be controlled, the fruit has to be harvested on a schedule. The people who know how to do that kind of stuff are called farmers. Whether they contract it out or handle it in house, Apple is getting into the farming business.

And that's what I said.

You asked "How will these fruit trees be maintained?"

And I answered "People will do it."

You already knew the answer to your own question though.

Yes... farmers will maintain the fruit trees.

My whole (silly) point was they won't be current Apple employees from the marketing department or whatever.



(and the smiley mean I'm saying this in jest)

 

[redmac]

I wonder if they'll have a parking spot issue or if that will be plenty even with guests and events.

There will always be plenty of available parking spots. Most Apple employees use company shuttles and other transit options.

8,000 cars leaving at 5pm & starting up in an underground parking lot. Holy cow I hope there's good ventilation down there!

I don't think air quality in the garage would be an issue. Most people have flexible work hours, and probably the over-the-ground parking garages will be preferred by many.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Apple would contract out the work to a landscape maintenance company, one that is skilled in maintaining fruit trees as well as the normal plants used in corporate campus landscaping.

It may be the same existing service that currently maintains their various building complexes in Silicon Valley.

It's not like Phil Schiller has been driving the lawn mower at 1 Infinite Loop for the past decade.

And any decent professional gardener should be able to understand and execute the basic care of common fruit trees. They're not super exotic species, homeowners grow these things in their backyards around here.

Remember, most of what is now called Silicon Valley used to be fruit tree orchards.

Of course, Apple could simply call the City of Saratoga and ask, "who maintains your heritage orchard?"

They don't need to hire rocket scientists for this.

Miss the point much? The trees are not exotic, they are fruit trees. Growing fruit trees is farming. Whether the maintenance and harvesting is contracted out or not (which many farmer and ranch owners do), it is still agriculture.

Speaking of around here, around here we are under serious pest and disease threat. The county comes in every few months now and sprays all of our backyard fruit trees. We have only a few of them. Apple will be growing thousands of them. Get it yet?

 

[arkhanjel]

Wish if they could add some cheetahs, pumas, jaguars, panthers, tigers, leopards, lions and mountain lions!

Nice. Pretty subtle.

 

[steve knight]

Apple trees maybe?

no they are not drought tolerant cherry trees are though.