Tall Redwoods Have Put Down Roots in Brea : The grove of coastal trees is thriving in Carbon Canyon Regional Park’s inland foothills. But development is creeping closer to area rich in history.

Look straight up at the dark, stiff trunks as they rise 50 feet before disappearing inside the dense green canopy illuminated like neon by the morning sun.

From this vantage point, it’s easy to assume that this grove of about 180 redwoods is as old as the dusty back roads and rusting oil works they share a home with in Carbon Canyon along the foothills north of Brea.

But these trees are relative newcomers to this area rich in history.

Planted in 1975 when the 124 acres of land around it were made into the Carbon Canyon Regional Park, the redwoods form a jagged skyline as they rise from a narrow valley about two miles from the park entrance.

The coastal redwoods, or Sequoia sempervirens, are out of place amid the brush and wind-swept grass of the dry inland foothills. This becomes apparent in the summer, when park rangers occasionally spray the trees with water as a way of removing the dirt and grime that accumulate from the smog.

Nonetheless, the trees have prospered on the land, rising from five to 15 feet when planted to their current stature of 40 to 70 feet, said park ranger Jeff Bukshpan. And during the hottest days of August, Bukshpan said, there is probably no better place in the park to sit than inside the cool grove.

“The area just draws you in,” he said.

Also attracted to the arbor are assorted animals, including coyotes and rabbits as well as a variety of birds.

The grove’s natural moisture, coupled by park rangers’ habit of keeping the area wet, has also prevented several brush fires from incinerating the grove.

The redwoods are nestled at the back end of the park, which includes picnic tables, playgrounds, tennis courts and a small lake.

The park stands on the site where 100 years ago the oil town of Olinda rose from the canyon floor. A state historical marker near the ranger’s station notes Olinda’s existence as a tiny enclave that died out with the oil boom at the turn of the century.

At first glance, it might appear that little since has changed at the mouth of Carbon Canyon. Oil wells and horse stables dot the hilly landscape and the chaparral remains untouched by construction.

But times are changing.

Development in Chino Hills to the northeast has made for congested rush-hour traffic on the meandering two-lane Carbon Canyon Road, Bukshpan said. There is also the possibility of suburban sprawl creeping up from Brea.

“The usage on the road has increased tremendously,” Bukshpan said as he looked from his office to the road. At times, “it’s car-to-car traffic down the road.”