Local News in Brief : Clearing Canyon Brush

Topanga Canyon landowners, caught between federal and state regulations for clearing brush, have decided to use their imaginations to control the dangerous buildups around their 2,000-home community.

Homeowners say they may try to grind chaparral into mush that can be mixed with sewage sludge to create a rich fertilizer for new oak groves in the canyon. The pulverizing would be done by a $100,000 machine called a “tub grinder” that would have the capacity to eat tons of brush daily.

Disposal of brush has turned into a major problem in the mountainous community.

New Los Angeles County Fire Department procedures require landowners to remove flammable brush within 200 feet of houses. Until last year, only a 100-foot clearance was required.

At the same time, air pollution officials with the South Coast Air Quality Management District have tightened regulations against backyard brush burning--the traditional way for Topanga landowners to dispose of cut chaparral.