Forestry
SAN DIMAS


CLICK HERE FOR DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT PROJECTS

Set amid the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, the San Dimas Forestry Unit serves the Pomona Valley, San Gabriel Valley and surrounding foothills. Four foresters provide natural resource protection, tree planting, and conservation education programs to 4 million residents in a 963 square mile unit area. The San Dimas Forestry Unit was founded in 1954 to provide professional forestry services to homeowners in eastern Los Angeles County. The one acre forest nursery employed juvenile offenders incarcerated at Camp Glenn Rocky, providing them with meaningful work experience in an outdoor environment.

Today, the San Dimas Forest Unit produces 40,000 forest tree seedlings annually. The trees are propagated by seed and held at the nursery for two years until they are ready for field planting. Forest tree seedlings for erosion control and windbreaks are available free of charge to Los Angeles County residents. Tree Planting programs have developed forest plantations at Bonelli Regional Park, San Gabriel Canyon, Puente Hills Landfill, Cogswell Reservoir Mount Baldy Road, the Santa Anita Equestrian Trail and the Rio Hondo Flood Control Channel.

The San Dimas Forestry Unit also serves as an outdoor classroom. Nursery tours, nature walks and a wildlife care center are available to school, scout, and youth organizations. Bus access, drinking water and restrooms are available. Park and picnic facilities are in close proximity. The San Dimas Forestry Unit is open to the public from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.


CONSERVATION EDUCATION

The Forestry Division of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department can provide your school or organization with conservation education programs. Topics include:

  1. Fire Safety in the Urban Interface
  2. Erosion Control
  3. Urban Forestry
  4. Trees
  5. The Environment

County Foresters can visit your classroom with a variety of audio visual and hands on materials. Or join a forester at one of five forestry units located in the foothills for a unique outdoor experience. All programs are offered free of charge. Contact your local forestry unit for program availability and reservations.


HOMEOWNER CONSULTATION

Professional foresters can assist property owners with land management concerns. A forester will meet with you on site to advise you on such issues as:

  • Soils
  • Tree Care
  • Plant Growth
  • Erosion Control
  • Insects and Diseases
  • Fire Safe Landscaping
  • Fire Hazard Reduction
  • Drought Tolerant Landscaping

Contact your local forestry unit to schedule a free consultation.

Since its inception in 1911, the Forestry Division of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department has been involved in the conservation and protection of natural resources through its urban forestry programs. Today, eleven forestry units, located throughout thecounty, address the following environmental concerns:


FUEL MANAGEMENT

Southern California has one of the most flammable watershed covers in the world. A comprehensive vegetation management program has developed innovative strategies to reduce the risk of wildland fire hazards. Wildland hazard mitigation training for the department and general public along with the successful completion of numerous prescribed burns are part of this comprehensive program.


NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION

Increasing urban populations and changing land use have imposed tremendous pressure on our fragile natural resources. Review of environmental documents, emergency watershed protection programs and monitoring the county’s Oak Tree Ordinance are all part of the Forestry Division’s natural resource program.


TREE PLANTING

The Forestry Division is dedicated to improving the quality of life through the development of a managed urban forest. Eighty years of tree planting with over three million trees planted, has made the Forestry Division experts in dry land planting. Each year 80,000 tree seedlings are distributed free of cost to the public for use in erosion control and windbreaks.


CONSERVATION EDUCATION

In 1920 the Los Angeles County Charter mandated the Forestry Division to provide educational programs on fire prevention and natural resource conservation. Today, over 140,000 people a year participate in programs and tree planting projects which promote an appreciation of our natural resources

San Dimas Forestry Unit
County of Los Angeles Fire Department
Prevention Bureau, Forestry Division
5823 Rickenbacker Road, Rm #123
Commerce, CA 90040-3027
(323) 890-4330


Brush Clearance Unit
605 N. Angeleno Avenue
Azusa, CA 91702-2904
(626) 969-2375


Camp 17
6555 Stephens Ranch Road
La Verne, CA 91750-1144
(909) 593-7147


Environmental Review Unit
12605 Osborne Street
Pacoima, CA 91331-2129
(818) 890-5719


Fire Plan/Interpretive Unit
12605 Osborne Street
Pacoima, CA 91331-2129
(818) 890-5783


Fuel Modification Unit
605 N. Angeleno Avenue
Azusa, CA 91702-2904
(626) 969-5205


Henninger Flats Forestry Unit
2260 Pinecrest Drive
Altadena, CA 91001-2123
(626) 794-0675


Lake Hughes Forestry Unit
42150 N. Lake Hughes Road
Lake Hughes, CA 93532-9706
(661) 724-1810


Malibu Forestry Unit

942 N. Las Virgenes Road
Calabasas, CA 91302-2137
(818) 222-1108


San Dimas Forestry Unit
1910 N. Sycamore Canyon Road
San Dimas, CA 91773-1220
(909) 599-4615


Saugus Forestry Unit
28760 N. Bouquet Canyon Road
Saugus, CA 91390-1220
(661) 296-8558


Vegetation Management Unit
12605 Osborne Street
Pacoima, CA 91331-2129
(818) 890-5720


CURRENT PROJECTS

San Dimas Unit

ARUNDO WEED CUTTING PROJECT

1. Los Angeles County Fair:

The San Dimas Forestry Unit manages in conjunction with the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management the ‘Caring for the Land’ outdoor exhibit display at the Los Angeles County Fair Grounds in Pomona. This outdoor exhibit gives adult and children alike an opportunity to view native plant communities in a natural setting along educational shows and materials. Many other items are also available for the outdoor enthusiast. The SDFU provide staff and maintenance for this display along with 30,000 pine seedlings for the public. Please take a few minutes while at the Fair to enjoy our exhibit, pick up a tree, and talk with our friendly and knowledgeable staff.


2. Bonelli Regional Park:

The purpose of Bonelli Park is to provide timber stand Improvement of tree plantations planted in the early 70’s, remove dead and drying trees, limb up existing ones, replace with new seedlings as needed. Forestry division staff and camp crews complete work. The San Dimas Forestry Unit (SDFU) manages 19 tree plantations within the 2500 acres of Bonelli Regional Park. Working with County of Los Angels Department of Parks and Recreation, these plantations were developed in the 1970’s for recreation and conservation opportunities such as Mountain biking, hiking, picnicking, and to provide habitat for various plant and animal communities. SDFU staff continues to maintain these plantations. By removing dead and dying trees and replacing with new ones, along with liming up existing ones, this process will allow a continued healthy forest environment. Along with the Fire Department’s Heavy Equipment section they maintain roads and install fire beaks around these tree plantations for added protection and access.


3. Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area:

The San Dimas Unit works within three geographical areas of the Santa Fe Dam Recreation area and adjacent areas to eradicate evasive plant species, primarily Arundo Donex, and establish native plant communities. Working in conjunction with the County of Los Angels Public Works and the Army Corp of Engineers, areas were determined in the San Gabriel River drainage to cut, chemically treat and remove Arundo Donax and establish and reestablish native plant communities more conducive their natural environment. This plant species has thrived in the San Gabriel River drainage. It destroys native plant and animal communities by out competing the native plants for moisture and growing space. SDFU staff work along with camp crews to oversee this work for safe and proper eradication efforts and plant revegetation success.

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