There is some good news, thanks to the City of Chino Hills, regarding the cleanup of trees in Carbon Canyon Creek that could contribute significantly to the spread of wildfires in the Canyon.
The City's Public Works Department has budgeted just north of $45,000 during the 2021-2022 fiscal year to hire the Santa Ana Watershed Authority, or SAWA, to kill palm trees that, when set afire, literally explode spreading sparks and embers to surrounding areas and spreading flames that make these wildfires considerably worse. This is along the creek from Chino Hills Parkway west along Carbon Canyon Road to the Summit Ranch community.
What SAWA will do is drill holes in the trunks, inject an herbicide that spreads systemically in the tree and leads to wilting and death. After that, the city's commercial tree maintenance contractor, West Coast Arborists, will go in and remove the trees. This latter part of the plan has to take place after mid-September when bird nesting season ends.
A separate project is the hiring of SAWA and a team from the California Conservation Corps to go in on 20 September and remove the remains of a massive eucalyptus tree that, earlier this year, fell from its location next to the creek in Sleepy Hollow. Obviously, this will be welcome as these trees are very intensive due to shedding of bark, piles of leaves, and the oils from the gum found inside.
The work from the City on this is much appreciated as efforts continue to be taken to mitigate wildfire risk, especially during this extended drought and the dangerous conditions that have resulted as climate change continues to make its devastating effects known.
