Carbon Creek Palm Tree Removal Underway--Updated!

Work crews engaged in cutting down the stand of highly-flammable palm trees next to Carbon [Canyon] Creek on Monday.  Photo courtesy of Jim Powderly, Chino Valley Fire District.

With the urging of Sleepy Hollow residents on the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council and in cooperation with the Chino Valley Fire District, the City of Chino Hills and, importantly, $20,000 in grants from San Bernardino County supervisor Gary Ovitt, a significant project to remove highly flammable palm trees from Carbon [Canyon] Creek in Sleepy Hollow is nearing completion.

A view of the palm tree removal work zone from across Carbon Canyon Road earlier today, as crews began work removing the material from the trees, which were cut yesterday.

Last year, the first phase consisted of injecting chemicals to kill the cluster of trees, after which another related round of work involved the removal of a large amount of plant material that posed both fire and flood risks.  Supervisor Ovitt's first disbursement of funds covered much of this work.

A detail showing palm fronds ready for removal.

Another infusion of monies from the supervisor, to the tune of $10,000, has allowed the next stage to proceed, this being the chopping down and hauling off of the dead trees.  This segment of activity began yesterday and continued today and maybe completed tomorrow.

It's staggering to actually see the creek and its adjacent area after many years of benign neglect.

The Fire Safe Council was told at a recent meeting that the City of Chino Hills, which owns the land along the creek within its borders, stands ready to commit to regular, ongoing maintenance of the watercourse and its adjacent areas so that this burst of activity, which was long overdue, is not in vain. 

Let's hope this is the case.

UPDATE: 13 March 2014.  Chino Valley Fire District inspector Jim Powderly, who did a great deal to bring this project to completion, reported that the City of Chino Hills coordinated the removal of 27 tons, from four 40-yard roll-off and a low-boy roll-off bins, exclusive of the material that was mulched and left on site.  In all, a staggering 43 tons of flammable material was hauled off during the entirety of the cleanup project, just in that one area along the creek in Sleepy Hollow.

As Jim reminded people in an e-mail today, this two-phase project was an important component to the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) developed by the Carbon Canyon Fire Safe Council, with a lot of work done by Olinda Village residents George Ullrich and Eric Johnson.  And, again, local residents pushed this item forward for the Council to pursue.  It was a true team endeavor and good to see the City of Chino Hills step up on the removal of the material and a commitment to maintain the area in the future.

Here are more photos of the project from Chino Valley Fire District inspector Jim Powderly.  Those ducks found the creek once it emerged from the morass of plant material that accumulated over the years.  The ducks have even found their way into some Sleepy Hollow yards.