With the initial phase of the wildfire debris cleanup officially coming to a close this week, county and federal officials on Wednesday, Feb. 26, sought to reassure residents that in the next phase of the cleanup beloved trees in fire-savaged areas will not be cut down, if they are not hazards.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the county’s Fifth District, which includes Altadena, Sierra Madre and Pasadena, noted that many Altadena residents have expressed concerns about trees being cut down on their properties.
“Trees are a defining feature of Altadena, and I fully support every effort to preserve them,” Barger said.
She referenced a situation that had been posted on social media, which she said she was told was a “unique” situation. Barger was apparently referencing a video posted to Instagram reels by an Altadena property owner. The owner shared the story of her trees being cut down, despite being assessed by arborists who stated the trees would survive and tagged the trees accordingly.
“I’ve been assured by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that property owners would be given at least five days advance notice before any debris removal begins, along with the opportunity to understand whether a tree on their property has been deemed unsafe or needs to be removed,” Barger said.
“Our goal is to save as many trees as possible,” said Col. Eric Swenson, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Not all trees that were marked will be removed.”
Swenson said that while in early days of the fire various agencies may have marked trees, the Corps, who is now the agency that is removing any fire damaged trees, had their own marking system.
Trees that are hazards are marked with three blue dots and a barcode at the base of the tree. The Corps will remove trees if they are in the ash footprint and need to be removed for safe debris removal, they are a safety risk to work crews or the public, or if arborists say the tree is dead or expected to die within five years.
“We do not remove trees simply because they are burned or damaged, Swenson said. “We use that professional judgment from a certified arborist and we’ve been doing this process in support of FEMA for over a decade and in the state of California we follow the same procedures that the state follows,” Swenson said.
The Corps is also working with the county to create a process where homeowners can opt out of a tree removal, transferring the risk back to the homeowner.
Swenson emphasized that tree removal is done in the interest of public health and safety.
Debris cleanup
The effort to clarify residents on tree removal came amid a morning news conference, where Environmental Protection Agency officials announced that Phase 1 of the debris cleanup – the portion in which hazardous household materials were collected – is not is now 100% complete.
“We have removed over 300 tons of household hazardous material. We have used 1,700 EPA staff, the largest ever response,” said Cheree Peterson, acting regional administrator at the EPA.
Meanwhile, Phase 2 of the cleanup continues, where the Corps of Engineers looks to clean up debris and ash for properties.
“We’ve completed 10 properties to date,” Swenson said.
The Corps will be done with Phase 2 work in less than one year, he said.
“We anticipate removing somewhere on the order of 4.5 million tons of fire ash and debris from both the Eaton and Palisades fire impacted areas combined,” Swenson said.
He also reiterated that as Phase 2 ramps up, and as the Corps hauls away debris and works in the fire-impacted areas, people will see an increase in truck traffic.
“I just ask the public to just be aware that we have an increased truck traffic,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can to manage congestion on roads and not to overburden any of the roads, but for the next few months there’s going to be an increase in traffic as we try to get this fire ash and debris safely removed from fire impacted parcels in lined trucks to a permitted landfill.”
Residents need to opt-in or out of the right of entry for the Army Corps of Engineers to complete debris removal by March 31.
“We want you to have this fire ash and debris safely removed from your property as quickly as possible so that you can move on to the next task, which is rebuilding your lives and livelihoods here in your property in beautiful L.A. County,” Swenson said.
Rebuild
Officials also announced that residents who want to build like-for-like within 10% of their previous home size are being fast-tracked, and Barger says she is pushing for county departments to commit to faster turnaround times.
Barger is looking into how residents might be able to access grants and other sources of philanthropic funding to get things like solar, accessory dwelling units and improvements in home hardening. She says residents will not experience delays in their permit process if they are looking to make these “modern investments.”
Shelters
Less than 20 people remain in shelters, which have been extended to stay open for one week, officials said.
“We have extended it for one week in order to make sure that those that are still there are not displaced,” Barger said. “It’s important for us to provide them with a roof over their heads and we recognize that.”
Barger said the county will work with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to find longer term housing for those in shelters that need it.
Barger also announced that the Department of Consumer Affairs has launched a Household Relief Fund Program, which provides grants to qualified households for up to $18,000.
More than $27.8 million will go toward any financial support a family whose home was affected by the fire or whose home falls in the impacted areas may need. Residents can apply online and must submit by March 12.
“This is financial assistance that the county is providing to ease the pain of the financial burden that exists today,” L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said as she encouraged residents to apply. While we know you’re pursuing financial assistance through insurance and FEMA and other sources, this is a fund designed specifically for you.”
This grant is one of many assistance programs with upcoming deadlines. Others include funds for small businesses and workers with March 2 application deadlines.
Eviction protections that apply countywide for six months were passed by the Board of Supervisors onn Tuesday, for those financially impacted by the fires. As a part of it, the county has been directed to establish a $10 million fund for rent relief and nonpayment of rent relief for property owners, Horvath said.