After the Eaton Fire, this group is working to save Altadena’s surviving trees

After losing their homes in the Eaton Fire, many displaced Altadena residents are now worried they’ll lose their trees too.

That’s why a group of Altadenans, called Altadena Green, are scrambling to save as many viable trees as they can while Phase 2 of debris cleanup picks up and threatens to take down many more trees that could possibly recover with a little time and care.

What remains of Wynne Wilson's home in Altadena.

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Julie Leopo

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LAist

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Part of Altadena’s soul

Wynne Wilson’s home was also her show space. A garden designer, the 30-year Altadena resident’s yard was full of fire-resistant plants and beautiful trees, including a 100-year-old gnarled olive tree, toyons, coast live oaks and Canary Island pines. Wilson said thousands of people have visited her home's garden over the last 15 years for tours and gardening education.

Wilson’s home burned down in the Eaton Fire. Many of her trees are charred, but will likely survive if given the chance. Wilson said saving these trees is akin to saving Altadena’s soul.

“It's rare to talk to an Altadenan that doesn't say, ‘I'm here because of the community and the trees,’” Wilson said.  "We are really conscious about the tree canopy of Altadena — they're beloved to Altadena.”

Wilson walked her property on a recent morning with Stephanie Landregan, the director of the landscape architecture and horticulture programs at UCLA Extension, and arborist Rebecca Latta.

Wynne Wilson, left, an Altadena resident examines an olive tree with Stephanie V. Landregan, director of the UCLA Extension program on landscape architecture.

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As officials rush to clean up and rebuild, they said cutting down trees that could recover during debris cleanup has become yet another trauma for residents.

“Residents are upset and angry and a little freaked out because they don't understand what's going to happen exactly,” said Latta, who runs her own business as an arborist and is a former forester for the city of Pasadena.

Wynne Wilson's garden pre-Eaton Fire

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Courtesy Wynne Wilson

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That’s why Latta, along with Landregan and Wilson, founded Altadena Green. Their goal is to assess trees already marked for removal, educate homeowners and save as many trees as they can.

“The trees here are so critical to the character of the place,” Latta said. “If you lose all of these trees, it's going to really radically change the way that this place feels and looks.”

And removing those trees can worsen urban heat islands going forward, Latta worries.

 "If we lose that many trees in Altadena, it's going to change the climate,” Latta said. “It's going to cause us to have heat islands that we've never had before.”

Scorched branches on Wynne Wilson's property in Altadena.

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Julie Leopo

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LAist

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Stephanie V. Landregan, program director at UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture, visits a burn site in Altadena on Feb. 5, 2025, where vegetation is already starting to grow.

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Julie Leopo

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LAist

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As debris removal continues, Altadena Green is racing to save the community's surviving trees. The mission is personal.

“We run with this low level of angst all the time,” said Latta. “It’s this idea that you can’t protect your trees without someone taking them down without your permission.”

For many, the surviving greenery is a symbol of hope, a reminder that after devastation, life returns.

 "The biggest thing we have right now is resilience, and to have a tree still is huge," Wilson said. "Gardens are all about seasons and time, and this is a tough time, and we're going to have a better time."

Wynne Wilson, an Altadena resident, habitat conservationist, and garden designer, picks up a burned page she found in the remnants of her garden which was destroyed and burned down in the Eaton Fire.

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Julie Leopo

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Who’s in charge of the trees?

L.A. County said it’s working to preserve as many public trees as possible — the Public Works Department manages some 9,500 trees along parkways in Altadena.

In a statement to LAist, the agency said it's taken over assessment of those trees and is “developing a process that would allow even more of these at-risk trees to be saved by working directly with community members.”

But the Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of clearing private property — that’s why those blue markings on trees are cropping up. During Phase 1, the EPA marked trees with white spray paint, but did not remove trees themselves, according to a spokesperson. The Corps of Engineers is using blue paint.

A spokesperson for the Corps of Engineers told LAist that homeowners who opted in to the free debris removal program have the option to ask that trees not be removed on their property, but if it's not removed by the Corps' contractors during debris removal, ash property owners will have to pay for the tree to be taken down if it is ultimately determined it won’t recover.

Trees within the "ash footprint" of a burned home — determined when contractors assess the site and defined as the immediate area around a burnt home where ash settled — are slated to be removed no matter what for those who have opted into the government debris removal program.

From left, Stephanie V. Landregan, program director at UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture, Wynne Wilson, an Altadena resident, habitat conservationist, and garden designer, and Rebecca Latta, an arborist, assess a scorched olive tree on Feb. 5, 2025.

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Julie Leopo

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LAist

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A mature olive tree on Wynne Wilson's property.

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Julie Leopo

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LAist

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But Altadena Green’s founders said the communication to residents has been confusing and insufficient.

Already, Latta said they’ve found trees that are improperly identified by the Corps of Engineers, or marked for removal despite being far from a home’s foundation and having the potential to recover in a couple of years.

“If you're looking at a tree and you think it's a hazard, you may not know for a couple of months whether those trees are going to come back or not,” Latta said.  "Part of my goal is to try to figure out how to ask that these contractors follow the standards that are established for our industry, both for the inspection and identification of hazard trees.”

The Army Corps of Engineers told LAist all trees are assessed by an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ), and that not all marked trees will be removed — only those determined hazardous to crews or infrastructure, or that are determined to be dead or likely to die within five years.

"We understand that trees are an important part of the landscape and hold deep personal, cultural and environmental significance for many in the community," Corps of Engineers spokesperson Susan Lee wrote in an email to LAist. "That's why our approach prioritizes saving as many trees as possible while ensuring public safety and the success of debris removal operations."

The Corps of Engineers did not provide specific details to LAist about contractors hired for tree assessments.

"If a homeowner ... wishes to save a tree, we carefully evaluate whether it can be preserved safely without interfering with the recovery process," Lee wrote.

Altadena Green and other residents are calling for independent, local arborists to take the lead on tree assessment and to help homeowners navigate whether trees need to be removed.

Rebecca Latta, an arborist, examines the scorch on a tree on Feb. 5, 2025.

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Julie Leopo

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How to save your trees

Here’s what the symbols on your trees mean and what you can do if you want to prevent a tree from being removed on your property.

The Army Corps of Engineers said it uses state-certified foresters to mark trees for potential removal. Those trees are marked with three blue dots and a barcode. Trees are deemed hazardous if they are dead, or if there’s a risk of them dying within five years. Trees are also subject to removal if they are determined to be dangerous to debris cleanup crews.

If you have marked trees you want to keep, here's how you can try to save them:

• Tell the Army Corps of Engineers contractors in person when they walk your property with you.
• Attach a signed retention notice to each tree (keep in mind the contractor will also want to confirm with the property owner in person and may still cut the tree down if they determine it a danger) 
• You can update your Right of Entry application form identifying trees you'd like to preserve and email ROE@pw.lacounty.gov with the update.
• You can opt out of the free government debris removal program and hire other companies to assess your trees and remove debris.
• Altadena Green has further resources.

An Army Corps of Engineers graphic depicts how trees flagged for removal will be tagged.

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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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Arborists with Altadena Green caution that some trees may look worse than they are.

Species such as Canary Island pine, carob, redwood, sycamore, coast live oak "and other corky barked oaks can take quite a bit of scorch damage and recover,” according to the organization’s website.

“I think it's worth it to just wait a couple months and see how it's doing instead of removing it prematurely, especially if it's a hundred-year-old tree,” said arborist and Altadena Green volunteer Jonathan Flournoy.

He recommends that residents consult with an arborist before mature trees are removed — Altadena Green has put together a list.

You can also do an initial test of your trees’ health by seeing if the tree is alive under charred bark on the surface. Use a simple blade to check the wood under the burned bark.

 ”You have the outer bark, which is dead, which is a protective layer, and then going further in, you have the inner bark, which is alive, and it's wet, and it conducts sugars up and down the trunk,” Flournoy explained. “So basically, you want to make sure that there's at least some live bark there.”

Producer Evan Jacoby contributed to this report.