An L.A. sawmill is undertaking a project to give burned trees in the Eaton Fire zone new life.
Angel City Lumber's Altadena Reciprocity Project is driven by the community's deep connection to its local flora.
"Homeowners are essentially just saying, I just don't want my tree to get mulched," Angel City founder Jeff Perry told KNX News' Karen Adams.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
Working alongside Los Angeles Tomorrow and the Army Corps of Engineers, Perry's team is stockpiling these trees, preparing them to be transformed into flooring, furniture, and door frames for future rebuilding efforts.
"I think by utilizing the wood from trees that stood in that community for so long that it's a tie and a through line to some spiritual nature of what has always been there," he said.
The project extends beyond the immediate fire zone.
"We have a contract with the United States Forest Service to remove dead fuel wood from the Angeles National Forest, which abuts Altadena," Perry said. "We want to utilize the wood from that contract to make structural timber for the Altadena rebuilds."
This initiative aims to provide Altadena residents with discounted lumber. Given current tariffs on lumber and gypsum from Canada and Mexico, the project could offer a cost-effective solution for rebuilding homeowners.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok