BRUSH MUST GO\Clearing plan aimed at saving trees.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

To prevent brush fires that could wipe out centuries-old trees in the Angeles National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service plans to burn and cut vegetation that, in some cases, hasn't been cleared for 75 years.

The Tujunga Ranger District has created a five-year plan that calls for burning and pruning overgrown chaparral, oak and conifer woodlands on a 1,542-acre parcel in the park's Arrastre and Moody watersheds, south of Soledad Canyon Road near Acton.

"It's a large fire hazard," said resource assistant Nancy Mehaffie, who is overseeing the project's environmental assessment. "As brush ages, it becomes dry."

The Forest Service also plans to refurbish trails, repair fuel breaks - wide swaths of barren land - and encourage new growth that will draw deer to the area.

The plan still faces approval by district ranger Clara Johnson. The deadline for public comment is Tuesday.

During the past year, the area has largely escaped the brush fires that have plagued tinder-dry hillsides in the southwestern part of the Santa Clarita Valley.

By using controlled burns, the forest service hopes to encourage new plant growth, improve wildlife habitat and protect stands of centuries-old trees, including big cone Douglas firs.

"They're old trees and we need to protect them," Mehaffie said. "A fire could wipe out the whole stand."

If the plan is approved, the Forest Service would burn chaparral and chamise, and remove thick brush that now hugs the base of trees. In a wildfire, the underbrush could act as a ladder for flames, enabling them to reach treetops.

The Forest Service also hopes to lure deer back to the area by burning areas that will encourage plants to sprout and grow.

"The deer find newer growth more palatable," Mehaffie said.

During the past 10 years, the number of houses in northern Los Angeles County has tripled, said resource assistant Steven Bear, who also is working on the plan.

The development has pushed animals from their habitat and disrupted an ecological cycle that depends on fire for growth and regeneration.

"We're trying to make a balance between what's good for wildlife and what's good for people living on the fringe of the forest," Bear said. "In order to control fire, we allow these areas to build tremendous fuel levels that would never happen. The fire-dependent ecosystem has not been allowed to evolve."

The Forest Service also wants to improve 1.5 miles of a 7-mile trail system, opening it to hikers, equestrians, motorcyclists and four-wheel drive motorists.

The 1.5-mile trail section is on Old Mt. Gleason Road, which stretches from Soledad Canyon through the North Star Mine area in Acton.

The plan is available for perusal at the Tujunga District office, 12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Road, San Fernando, and the Palmdale Library, 700 E. Palmdale Ave.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Photo (1--AV and SAC--color in SAC) Martin Esparza and Nancy Mehaffie of the U.S. Forest Service inspect brush that poses a fire hazard in the Angeles National Forest. (2--ran in SAC only--color) Mehaffie looks over a stand of manzanita. The Forest Service also will repair trails in the area. David Crane/Daily News