Letter: Regarding the Plan to Thin Out Laguna Canyon Vegetation

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The proposal to clear vegetation along the lower walls of the canyon is flawed. The pattern of fire is to burn uphill, so reducing vegetation at the street level is an intrusion on the nature of the canyon, with no real benefit. Fires burn downhill at a low speed. The homes on Laguna Canyon Road are easily defended by fire trucks at street level.

I notice there is no mention of the height of the clearing above street level. How far up the hillside is the city planning to reduce vegetation? I would hate to see this happen. It would change the nature of the canyon to all those who live there or drive through there.

My hillside at 2955 Laguna Canyon Road is easily a 3/1 or higher slope. Removal of vegetation may cause roots to let go of the soil in the next big rain.  

I would appreciate the removal of dead vegetation, like oak tree branches that are devoid of leaves, but I would want to be there to supervise the process.

In addition, next to us on the south side of our property, is an open space run amok. “Restored” native vegetation is an average of 10 feet tall, as it is all fertilized by the rich canyon bottom soils, unlike its cousins up on the hillside with far more limited nutrients to grow on.

Deer used to visit this lot when it was an open field, and I would have no objection to reverting to this. Deer do not like moving through brush where any predators/homeless can easily startle them. So as a connection between the east and west sides of the canyon, it has failed miserably. Not one sign of deer scat in the last five years. They used to always visit the oak trees for the acorns every year. It would substantially reduce the fuel load right next to the canyon road where a tossed cigarette could easily catch hold. Presently the brush is thick right to the edge of the bike lane and even out into it. Is anybody paying attention? Time to put the lot on a maintenance schedule.

And all the trails on the lot are overgrown, thanks to Mother Nature’s gift last winter. It is a rabbit’s warren of homeless camp sites, almost impossible to detect, without crawling through the underbrush, which is not something the police want to do. Lord knows we do not need another KOA campground like the one at the homeless shelter. The lot is almost without any signage to discourage trespassing in an area under restoration, let alone warnings against camping.

Tex Haines, Laguna Beach

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