Trees from the L.A. Fires Are Being Recycled into New Lumber

The devastating fires that hit the Los Angeles metropolitan area earlier this year resulted in 4.5 million tons of debris, but some of it is being salvaged for building materials.

Angel City Lumber said it is recycling trees from the Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods fires that destroyed over 16,000 structures and an estimated 40,000 acres throughout the area. Owner Jeff Perry says he estimated that his firm will be able to produce enough low-cost, millwork-grade board for 500 homes to be rebuilt in the affected areas.

He said that trees that were damaged in the fires had been being turned into mulch but he has teamed up with local landscape architects Blake Jopling and Ruth Siegel, who is also the deputy director of the nonprofit Los Angeles Tomorrow, to create Altadena Reciprocity. The organization helps homeowners recycle neighborhood trees into materials that can be used for flooring, stair treads and door casings, among other uses.

He said, “By reusing these trees and selling the product at a low cost, post-disaster material reuse can immediately serve rebuilding efforts and address both the high costs of construction and the need for healing after disaster strikes,” according to a published report on Dwell.com.

Perry has worked with local organizations to reuse fallen trees in the area for years. He said that amounts to 13 million trees a year. “That’s a lot of trees coming down. There’s around two billion board feet of wood that is consumed in the housing market of Los Angeles,” added Siegel in the report. “Based on the dieback rates, there’s about the same or more wood in board feet available [locally], and we’re not using any of that.”

ACL said its salvaged lumber will be milled, air dried and ready to be sold in a few years to coincide with anticipated permitting timelines. But it’s not just the cost factor coming into play Siegel said. “Trees are really emotional. You get attached to them on your property or in your neighborhood, and it’s that little silver lining, I think, that gives people a little relief after the trauma.”

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