Calabasas Tree Killer Sought

Termites aren’t the only worry for trees in Calabasas.

The city on the western edge of Los Angeles County has been plagued by a serial tree chopper, who, since March, has cut down five trees and damaged others in an area protected by the state wildlife department.

This week, residents along McCoy Canyon Creek next to Calabasas Park found two oaks that had been cut down.

The damage tally is more than $100,000, Calabasas officials say.

Los Angeles County deputies at the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station said they are investigating, but no arrests have been made.

“There is obviously someone here who does not care about the environment,” said Helene Regen, president of the Calabasas Park Homeowners Assn. and a 12-year resident.

“All they care about is themselves and their view,” Regen said.

Three willows--valued at more than $60,000--were chopped down in early March. An Aspen tree was pruned of most of its lower branches, said Regen, who serves on the city’s tree board.

The vandal could face a hefty fine. Recently, a family was fined $10,000 for removing just one branch of an oak, Regen said.

McCoy Canyon Creek, a tributary to the Los Angeles River, separates condominiums, apartments and houses from the park and is designated a protected natural habitat by the state’s Department of Fish and Game because of its importance to the area’s wildlife.

Regan said the trees were damaged late on weekend nights over several weeks.

In addition to the trees that were felled, others were hacked, causing residents to fear that more trees in the area may be targeted.

State Fish and Game agents have received reports on the damaged trees but have yet to visit the sites, city officials said. The homeowners’ group is offering a $2,500 reward to help catch the person responsible, Regen said.”This is a sign of anarchy,” said Bill Millar, the city’s landscaping district manager.

“This is a sign that some people are not ready to accept the trees as part of the natural habitat,” Millar said.

Alonzo Guzman, head groundskeeper at the Oak Park condominiums, agreed.

“Residents will sometimes ask me to cut branches so they can have a better view outside,” said Guzman, who found the three dead willow trees. “I have to tell them that I can’t and that these trees are not mine or theirs to be cutting.”

The McCoy Canyon Creek area is normally full of wildlife.

In addition to birds in the treetops, ducks, beavers and salamanders can be found in the shallow creek, and squirrels scurry about the canyon’s rocks and bushes.

The newly fallen trees, which won’t be cleared until Fish and Game agents can investigate, are causing roadblocks for the animals, officials said.

“I knew when I woke up one morning that something was wrong,” said Wendy Henderson, 39, who lives near where the first trees were cut.

“I just looked out and they were gone,” Henderson said. “It’s disgusting every time I look at it.”