Public Warned Not to Remove Trees

Ventura County officials issued a warning to the public Monday that removing mature oaks and other trees on property burned in the recent fires is illegal and could contribute to potential erosion and mudslides.

The county’s Resource Management Agency has received numerous calls about tree-cutting in burned-out areas in and around Thousand Oaks and Santa Paula over the last few weeks, officials said. More than 60,000 acres in the county were charred in a series of wildfires last month.

The agency has also received calls from property owners wanting to know whether they should remove damaged or dead trees, said Todd Collart, a planning supervisor with the agency.

Under the county’s tree protection ordinance, a permit is required to remove oaks and sycamores measuring 9 1/2 inches in circumference and any other species of tree measuring 90 or more inches in girth, Collart said. A permit must be obtained even for removing damaged or dead trees, he said.

The cost of the permits range from $35 to $120, depending on whether an on-site inspection is required, Collart said.

He said that even damaged trees can help hold the soil together with their remaining roots. He also cautioned that many times trees that appear to be dead are actually alive and can be saved.

“Even if a tree is dead, it doesn’t mean it necessarily has to come down,” he said. “Removing it could create unstable soil conditions.”

He said anyone caught illegally removing a tree would either have to reimburse the county for the cost of a removal permit, or pay for the tree’s replacement.

Anyone with information about possible illegal tree cutting is urged to call Terry Newman at the resource management agency at 645-1364.