NEWPORT BEACH : Hearings Scheduled on Brush Removal

Public hearings will be held Dec. 10 to discuss the clearing of dry vegetation from two Corona del Mar canyons as a precaution against brush fires that could threaten nearby neighborhoods.

Testimony will address the Fire Department’s request that homeowners whose property abuts Buck Gully or Morning Canyon remove brush and weeds--a project that residents say will cost them thousands of dollars, disrupt natural beauty and cause erosion.

The hearings will be held at Newport Beach City Hall.

Firefighters first notified the homeowners in late July that a fire in either canyon could threaten lives and property.

In the past several months, fire inspectors have toured the area almost daily, but only about 24 of the approximately 200 lots under scrutiny have been cleared to the city’s satisfaction.

Although many residents are working to comply with the request, Deputy Fire Marshal Jim Upton said he expects that mandatory weed abatement will be necessary on some properties.

Recently, the city passed a resolution declaring that the “excess fuel load” on the slopes of Buck Gully and Morning Canyon poses a public nuisance. Unless property owners meet the department requirements, the measure stated that city crews will have to clear the vegetation for a fee that will be put on property tax bills.

City officials said that residents need not denude their lots to reduce the fire hazard. The important factors are to remove dried and dead vegetation, trim tree branches which are less than five feet from the ground, and prune bushes and smaller trees from the ground to about a third of their height.