COBB, Calif. – With trees and tree removal remaining key topics of concern for Cobb residents in the wake of the Valley fire, officials said this week that they are taking new steps to assist with the cleanup, including options for removing trees that have been felled for safety reasons.
The 76,067-acre fire did serious damage to the forest on Cobb, leaving many of the beloved trees dead or damaged.
In Boggs State Demonstration Forest alone, Cal Fire has closed the site indefinitely because an estimated 80-percent of the forest was destroyed and must be replanted, according to Forest Manager Nick Kent.
Shortly after the fire began on Sept. 12, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Caltrans and a county contractor went into the fire area to remove trees that were hazards either in the public right of way or to public utilities, as Lake County News has reported.
The cutting of the thousands of trees – particularly by Caltrans and PG&E – resulted in alarm from Cobb members. A community meeting was held last month to allow officials to explain the need for tree removal and the way forward for reforestation.
PG&E said it is required by state law to cut down fire-damaged trees that pose a hazard to utility facilities after a wildfire.
Even trees that appear to be healthy on the outside may be damaged and need to be addressed before they become a public safety hazard, the company said, adding that this work is critical to ensuring community safety.
The tree removal is still continuing for PG&E but is close to being completed, according to PG&E spokesman Brian Swanson.
Swanson said the utility has forecast the need to remove 26,000 fire-damaged trees because they pose a hazard to nearby power lines and also present public safety concerns.
As of this week, PG&E had completed the felling of 23,865 trees, Swanson said.
For comparison, Swanson said PG&E had forecast the need to remove 35,000 trees damaged in the Butte fire, which burned 70,868 acres in Amador and Calaveras counties. So far, PG&E has completed the felling of 21,801 of those trees, Swanson said.
At the end of October, a group of attorneys filed a lawsuit against PG&E on behalf of more than 70 property owners impacted by the Butte fire, alleging wrongful conduct and “conscious disregard for the safety of the public.” Specifically, the suit alleges that PG&E has a duty to keep vegetation properly trimmed and maintained so as to prevent contact with their power lines, but that it failed to do so.
In Lake County, as the tree cutting has moved forward, a number of residents have raised new issues, specifically, about who will remove the trees – some of them very large – that have been felled on their properties.
District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown told Lake County News that the county has been working with PG&E on that issue.
In a number of recent public meetings, Brown had assured impacted property owners that they wouldn't have to pay for the tree removal in those cases.
As a result, this week PG&E said it is providing residents in the area of the Valley fire the option to have the company remove or chip the large wood debris left behind by the utility’s removal of hazardous and fire-damaged trees.
“PG&E is working to support residents and communities as they begin recovering from this devastating fire. This is a unique challenge that is a growing concern for our customers and we are committed to offering our assistance to the greatest extent practicable,” said Carl Schoenhofer, senior manager of PG&E’s Humboldt Division, which includes Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties.
PG&E said it is developing a program to give customers the option for PG&E to remove, relocate or chip the wood if the customer requests it.
Brown said two locations have been set aside where the downed trees can be transported.
While final details of the program are being developed, PG&E said debris removal will be contingent on adequate roadway access.
Consistent with best management practices, PG&E contract crews chip and remove, or as an erosion control measure, spread the chipped material onsite.
Debris that is not accessible to roadways is cut and scattered in accordance with forest practice rules, the company said.
The larger pieces of wood are the customer’s property and they may want to use it for firewood or merchantable timber, PG&E said.
Customers in the fire-stricken area who would like to request a wood removal assessment may call 1-800-PGE (743)-5000.
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