ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : Land for Trees
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Orange County in the early 1800s was largely devoid of trees, which were often the victims of brush fires and the periodic raging of the Santa Ana River.
In 1873, the “timber laws” turned things around by offering settlers 160 acres if they would agree to plant 40 eucalyptus trees on the property. Much of Laguna Beach was settled in response to the offer.
Source: “Reflections in Orange,” by Warren Morgan
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