La Cañada gets grant to replace trees toppled in windstorm

La Cañada Flintridge will replace 29 trees it lost during the 2011 windstorm, thanks to a $50,000 grant from Los Angeles County.

The funds will cover the labor and materials required to remove remaining tree stumps and plant new trees, according to city officials. The new trees will be planted by the end of the year, according to a city statement.

The contractor who plants the new trees will be responsible for watering them for three months, after which the city will take over maintenance of the trees.

“This grant enhances the city’s proud legacy as a Tree City USA, a distinction we first achieved in 1988 from the Arbor Day Foundation,” Mayor Steve Del Guercio said in a statement.

The trees to be replaced are on Alminar Avenue, Berkshire Avenue, Beulah Drive, Chevy Chase Drive, Daleridge Road, Descanso Drive, Flanders Road, Forest Hill Drive, Gould Avenue, Hampton Road, Harter Lane, Oakwood Avenue, Viro Road, Woodleigh Lane and in Memorial Park.

City senior management analyst Ann Wilson said that because the grant pulls from the county’s Proposition A funds, the city is required to put in place an employment plan for at-risk youth for the project. Wilson said the city is planning to use the California Conservation Corps for manual labor on the tree planting. The job is estimated to require 1,060 hours of work.

La Cañada Flintridge was among 18 cities and other agencies to receive grants. The county Department of Parks and Recreation received the largest grant at $378,000, while Pasadena received $300,000. Glendale, San Marino and South Pasadena also received grants, as did the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy.
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