Tree Removal Helps Colima Fire Response

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In 2007 and 2008, groves of oil-rich eucalyptus trees were removed during the Whittier Hills Fuel Reduction Project to help reduce the wildfire danger to the local community. Last month, less than two years following the completion of the massive tree-clearing effort, the Colima Fire broke out nearby. But this time, firefighters were aided by the fact that the trees were no longer there to fuel the flames.

Whittier property owner Steve Castellanos astutely noted this in his September 20 letter to the editor of the Whittier Daily News, in which he thanked fire officials for the attack made against the Colima Fire on September 16. "I was amazed and impressed at the quick and powerful response our fire officials took with respect to the recent Colima/Mar Vista fire," he wrote. The fire, reported to have as many as three ignition points, was located near Lincoln Avenue and San Gabriel Boulevard, and about 60 County firefighters battled the blaze, led by Deputy Chief David Richardson as Incident Commander.

Castellanos went on to explain how our Department's brush clearance program was critical in mitigating the impact of this fire. "The second thing to be thankful for that may escape most people is that we can also be extremely grateful for the fact that the powers that be had the good sense to remove the hundreds of non-native eucalyptus trees from that exact area."

The project was paid for by the State of California, in which highly flammable eucalyptus trees were cleared from the State Responsibility Area (SRA) land. The project was headed up by the LACoFD Forestry Division's former Chief, David Leininger, and the men and women of the Vegetation Management Unit, in consultation with the Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority, a local partnership between the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Conejo Recreation and Park District, and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District.

Juvenile inmate hand crews from Camp Paige (LACoFD Camp 17) broke down the fallen trees into fire wood logs and small branches that were chipped into mulch to help landscape County facilities. During the project some raptor bird nests were discovered, and those trees were spared to help ensure ground rodent control in the future. The trees were originally planted by oil companies in the area years ago to help camouflage their rigs.

Republished with permission of County of Los Angeles Fire Department. View original article here.


Author:County of Los Angeles Fire Department