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Mulberry Trees are trees in the genus Morus of the mulberry family. The mulberry family also contains fig trees. Mulberry Way in eastern Woodland (in Idle Wheel Estates mobile home park) is named for mulberry trees.
There are about 64 species of mulberry trees, but the only one you're likely to see around Woodland is the White Mulberry (Morus alba)—and specifically, you'll just about always see the fruitless (male) version of it, which is planted at Campbell Park, Christiansen Park, Everman Park, Grace Hiddleson Park, Ralph Harris Park, Tredway Park, Woodland City Cemetery, and Woodside Park. The male and female versions of the White Mulberry tree are both pests, for different reasons.
Native to China and India, White Mulberry trees have been cultivated around the world as the preferred food of silkworms used for producing silk fabrics. Their berries are also edible to humans when ripe, but they are bland in flavor and generally considered inferior to the fruits of the Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) species that is native to the eastern and central United States. White Mulberry trees grow quickly to about 30–60 feet tall and are now often planted to provide rapid shade. Unfortunately, they have weedy tendencies. Though not considered an invasive weed in California by the California Invasive Plant Council, the White Mulberry is considered invasive in many other states and countries. It has even been banned from the states of Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee because of its invasiveness.
Because the female trees are so prolific, the male trees are usually planted instead. The male trees are commonly sold as Fruitless White Mulberry. However, these are also pest trees! Even if there are no female Mulberry trees for them to pollinate, fruitless (male) White Mulberry trees produce so much pollen that many cities—including Albuquerque, El Paso, Las Vegas, and Tucson—have banned planting them to help protect residents from allergic reactions. Not only that, but Fruitless White Mulberry Trees launch their massive quantities of pollen into the air at about 385 miles per hour—the fastest known movement of any plant, and slightly over half the speed of sound. This immense force carries the pollen across long distances, so if you live anywhere near a Fruitless White Mulberry tree at all, its pollen can make you deeply miserable. White Mulberry is ranked 10 out of 10 on the Ogren Plant Allergy Scale, indicating the most severe allergenicity.
Unfortunately, just about everyone in Woodland lives near Fruitless White Mulberry trees, thanks to the city government planting them all over town. In fact, the city has not only planted them at the seven city parks listed at the top of the page but also installed them as street trees along 1st Street, 3rd Street, 6th Street, Beamer Street, Bliss Avenue, College Street, Dead Cat Alley, Dog Gone Alley, East Street, North Street, and Walnut Street. In fact, the Urban Forest Resource Analysis published by the City of Woodland in 2018 indicated that the city was knowingly and intentionally maintaining 58 of these asthma-inducing nuisance trees in Woodland. So if you have hay fever from about March through May, it could easily be the fault of the City of Woodland planting these trees near your home.
