Lumberyard repurposing wood from trees burned in Eaton Fire

By Alys Martinez

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    LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — A Boyle Heights lumberyard is working to repurpose the wood from trees left damaged by the Eaton Fire, turning them into lumber and products for residents looking to rebuild after the devastating wild fires in January.

Jeff Perry, the founder of Angel City Lumberyard, is hoping to prevent the trees from being turned into mulch, and instead something that can benefit people and their communities.

Perry calls the ongoing milling operation part of his “community wood bank” program, where Altadena residents can get the lumber salvaged from fallen trees.

“Altadena is a community that is all heart and character, our whole reason for wanting to make lumber from these trees so that they get utilized back into the homes that are being built there is to carry on that character, to carry on that spirit,” Perry said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is letting him store his lumber at the Altadena golf course, which they’re doubling as a debris staging area since his lumberyard is completely full.

He needs the space to quickly save as many trees as possible, but he’s still running out of time and space.

“For us to do our milling, we need another couple of years,” Perry said. “We are looking for an Altadena location, two to five acres, where we can store logs to mill.”

Some Altadena residents have turned to Perry to save the remnants of trees on their burned out properties. One of those is Susan Lee Streets. She’s hopeful that the massive Italian stone pine that fell onto her property in the midst of the inferno.

“i cried a fresh round of tears when I saw that majestic tree that has been here who knows how long, that that had died,” she said. ” The thought of that going into mulch and the landfill was just so painful.”

She’s hopeful that the wood can once again become something beautiful.

“When you look at these beautiful trees that can provide flooring, beautiful tables or benches or whatever it may be, I think it would be such a lovely way to keep a bit of what we lost,” she said.

More information on how to help Perry’s can be found on the Angel City Lumber website.

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