Arundo Redux

A visitor to the blog left a comment on the arundo post from a few days back expressing concern that, with all of the focus on eradicating the virulent invasive on the Brea side of Carbon Canyon, nothing was being done on the Chino Hills portion.

It turns out that there may be some relief headed that direction, according to a friend of the blog who clarified the situation.

As stated previously, there was a golden opportunity after the Triangle Complex fires, during which the enormous biomass of arundo was incinerated, to spray shortly after new growth sprouted up.  This allowed the herbicide to penetrate to the roots and kill the plant over the cycle of treatment.  Usually, a very labor intensive and expensive program of cutting has to be done before the regrowth and spraying could be attempted.

It is projected that crews will come in to the Brea side of the Canyon to remove the dead arundo during the summer months.  Evidently, this will be followed by the targeting of two sites on the Chino Hills portion which will involve the cutting of the healthy stands, followed by the herbicidal treatment.

Tomorrow night is the monthly meeting of the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council (7 p.m. at the Sleepy Hollow Community Center) and there may be an opportunity to learn more about this potential next step then.

The images were taken this morning: the first shows the still-green, but recently treated stands on the La Vida Mineral Springs property.  The others show the dying stalks across the street and slightly to the west--these having been treated earlier this year.  The image below actually shows part of the Carbon [Canyon] Creek channel that is far more visible now and which will be more so when crews remove the dead arundo later on.

Added the evening of 5 May:  last Saturday's edition of the Chino Hills Champion includes a lengthy article with photos updating the progress of the arundo eradication, focusing on the securing of permission and the spraying of the La Vida property.