Red Car Property: Iconic California Black Walnut Tree Crashed Down

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, December 31, 2021.

In a fitting end to 2021, a huge protected native California Black Walnut Tree, growing on the Lake View Ave side of the Red Car Property, fell victim to this week's deluge.  As the species evolved to do, it survived decades of the drought/deluge pattern of Southern California weather. It was likely too much rain, too fast, on a steep slope, combined with run-off from the built hillside environment, to keep the beloved tree upright.  

Photo: Stephanie Bartron, May 2020.  

Oddly, I have admired the tree for three decades, but have surprisingly few photos of just this large tree. The Red Car Property is not a park, it just looks like one.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2009.

The native tree was so large and  among a long row of large trees, it was often difficult to single out just one tree.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2010.  

The healthy Black Walnut thrived behind a home at one of the lowest points of elevation of Lake View Ave. It took advantage of significant hillside run-off. It was couple of houses north of Rose Scharlin Nursery School.

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, 2016. 

A previous owner of the Lake View Ave house told me, the tree was a big reason they bought the house.  Despite knowing the tree was on the Red Car Property, they took care of it. They even hired a certified arborist/tree trimmer to maintain it, because the tree brought value to not only their home, but their lives.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, December 31, 2021. Same tree, reverse angle.

Upon seeing today's photos, several neighbors had the same reaction as I did, "Noooooo!"  

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 10, 2016. 

The native Black Walnut towered over the trail on the Red Car Property.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2015.

The Red Car Property is not a park, it just looks like one.  We mourn the loss of another iconic native tree.

Red Car Property: Not A Park, It Just Looks Like One

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 17, 2017.  Red Car Property between Lake View Ave and Corralitas Drive includes the slopes up to the fences on either side of the canyon.  Many of the trees are recovering since they were toasted by the heat of the fire in 2016.

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, July 21, 2016. While shot from a different angle, the trees on the Lake View Ave side of Red Car Canyon showed the extent of the heat damage from the fire, a month earlier.  

December 1, 2011, we had a major windstorm that knocked down trees, knocked out power and started a fire on Lake View Ave.  
 

Reminder: Keep A Fire Lane Open*

*Post originally published July 2, 2015.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014. Last October's fire on the slope between Lake View Ave and the Red Car Property (caused by a blown transformer), showed just how tricky it is for the LAFD to navigate our narrow winding streets.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Luckily, there was no wind and the damage was confined to the brush on a slope where homeowners had done their brush clearance.  A lot of neighbors on Lake View got a wake up call about the importance of keeping a lane of traffic open for emergency vehicles.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014.  Most neighbors on this part of Lake View already  took brush clearance and tree trimming seriously. 

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, August 13, 2010.  Riverside Place is one of the narrowest streets in the neighborhood.  Many of our streets have only one access point.  It's not just the 4th of July when we need to keep a lane of traffic open to for emergency vehicles, but all year round.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 22, 2012.  LAFD Company 56 is our local fire station and they are about the only crew with a small truck who really know the intricacies of our often substandard hillside streets, as seen above on Peru and Walcott in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists Tract. 

Some of our narrow streets and "corners" have hairpin turns and steep grades and only one means of access.  Don't block the street because you couldn't walk a few hundred feet.  If it's too far for you to walk, it might be time for you to clean out your garage and park in it.   

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 12, 2015.  The short end of Corralitas is the widest and flattest part of the street.  It's also only part of the street where people can park cars on both sides. 

A few minutes before the above photo, I watched as a LAFD ladder truck, responding to the same call, made several attempts at a left turn from Rosebud onto Corralitas.  It could not make the turn.  This compact fire engine LAFD 220 was already on scene of the car accident.

Since record drought and 4th of July fireworks (that started in May) have hillside homeowners a little more on edge than usual this year, we remind you to take responsibility for your own neighborhood, beyond just doing your own brush clearance.  

If you see someone blocking the street, fire hydrant or red curb, politely ask them not to park there.  If they're "unloading their car," offer to help them, so they feel compelled to move their car faster.  If you're having a party, ask your guests to carpool, wear walking shoes, park legally and don't block anyone's driveway.  We actually a sign on our front door for parties "Did you park legally? Are you blocking neighbor's driveways?"  Inevitably, a handful of people turn around and move their cars before coming in the door.  

LAPD and LAFD are telling people, if you see someone shooting off fireworks, call 1-877-ASK-LAPD. If you see smoke, safely investigate.  If you see fire (not a BBQ) call 911.

Riverside Place: Swallowtail Butterfly

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, June 18, 2016.  This is most likely a Pale Swallowtail found lifeless but mostly intact.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

For the past few months, we've been preoccupied with the loss of trees in the Red Car Property Neighborhood.  So we're looking at the little things that got overlooked this summer.

Red Car Property: New Growth

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, July 15, 2016.  Protected native California Black Walnut Trees on the Red Car Property have been sprouting not only new leaves, but a substantial number of flowers too.  Some of the new leaves and flowers are even on the same stem where the leaves went brown almost immediately after the Silver Lake Fire. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, July 15, 2016.  If you look closely at the above photo, you can see lots of flowers about to bloom. 
We are all tired of so many depressing photos of brown trees that did not burn in the Silver Lake Fire, yet were "cooked" by the heat. It is a relief to receive photos from multiple Red Car Property neighbors of the native California Black Walnuts Trees acting as if it were spring again. 

Photo: Vandiveer, enlarged from previous photo.  Those green blobs are walnuts that would ordinarily look more like this.

Photo: Stephanie Bartron, July 12, 2016.  Bartron, Red Car Property neighbor, garden designer and co-author of The Drought Tolerant Garden Handbook for Los Angeles County, noted the pattern of growth appeared typical per studies of California native tree recovery after wildfire.  Native trees evolved with our drought/deluge/fire seasons.

The new growth sprouted close to the Black Walnut Trees' trunks.  The dry leaves will drop and serve as mulch on the denuded slope.  So much water was poured onto the slope fighting the fire that all the burned grass, foliage and topsoil were washed off the steep slope.  The mulch of dry leaves is necessary to help the soil retain moisture and put nutrients back into the soil.

Bartron advises consulting a certified arborist if your trees were damaged in the Silver Lake Fire.  Considering CalTrans is clear cutting portions of the 2 Freeway near the Red Car Property, we need to save as many trees as possible to help counter the effects of air pollution. 

Last fall, it was even more odd when the Black Walnuts were simultaneously dropping leaves and walnuts while blooming. 

We'll be following the recovery of trees from the Silver Lake Fire.

2 Freeway: CalTrans Taking Down Really Big Trees

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, July 21, 2016.  Wednesday, CalTrans began cutting down trees damaged by the June 19, 2016 Silver Lake Fire adjacent to Corralitas Drive.  According to Vandiveer, "a worker said that they're not removing all of them 'just the ones that burned.'"  Of course very few of the big Eucalyptus actually burned, they mostly just got toasted from the extreme heat of the fire.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, July 21, 2016.  It's hard to get a sense of scale of just how big the trees were that CalTrans removed were. We'll be looking at those photos over the coming days.  But those two large stumps (when they were trees) on the right stopped cars from flying into the Red Car Property last year as there are no guard rails on most of this slope.

Red Car Property: Lots Of Tree Activity Today

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, July 21, 2016.  One month after the Silver Lake Fire, It appears someone the DWP may be trimming trees around above the power lines on the Lake View side (left side of photo) of the Red Car Property.  Neighbors were unable to confirm.

We  received word from CD13 yesterday that DWP was in the area and would be assessing the poles on the slope above the Red Car Property.  DWP will be replacing at least one.  Neighbors expressed increasing concern to CD13 regarding the power lines in the trees that were now drying out after the fire.  Some neighbors have also had difficulty in getting answers from the DWP, when attempting follow up with DWP regarding trees and powers lines.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 20, 2016.  This photo was taken the day after the fire, compare it with today's photo.  Many of the trees on either side of the canyon did not catch fire, but are suffering from the extreme heat of the fire.  Almost all are now exhibiting new growth.  The California Black Walnuts in particular are coming back quickly.  (We will be following the trees' recovery from fire.)

Red Car Property: Not A Park, It Just Looks Like One In Need Of Brush Clearance

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, April 27, 2016.  Watch out for those foxtails!  Hard to believe the Red Car Property, above the historic landmark viaduct footings, was so green just 2 months ago.  While the native black walnut trees are green again, while the non-native weeds are drying out and going to seed.

Red Car Property: Not A Park, It Just Looks Like One

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, April 19, 2016.  Reminder: keep your dogs on a leash and always pick up after them.
 

Red Car Canyon: Not A Park, It Just Looks Like One. Rush Hour

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, April 11, 2016. Morning rush hour: families walking to Rose Scharlin Co-op Nursery School, neighbors jogging and walking dogs - it's just another day on the trail on the Red Car Property.

Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase: Dawn On The Red Car Property

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, March 25, 2016.  Broken glass glittering like jewels, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) glowing in the sunrise, bougainvillea blooming...get out there and exercise before work!

Red Car Canyon: Drought Stricken Yuccas

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, March 14, 2016.  Drought stricken yuccas, rotted from the base of the trunks, got top heavy once the rains hit, and inevitably toppled over.  If you drag it over to the side of the trail where the ground is less compacted (from vehicles driving through the park like setting) so the new growth can take root in the leaf litter. We should see a few more grow out of this old yucca.

Red Car Property: Mudwatch, Rainfall Totals

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, March 12, 2016.  Yesterday afternoon's squall line that dumped a whole lot of rain really fast, left the Red Car Property walkable today. When the rain comes fast it much of it runs off and into the storm drains. 

We're tracking rainfall totals in the Corralitas Drive gauge...

March 11, 2016: 0.6"
Rain year to date: 8.54"*

*Normally, the "rain year" would have ended June 30.  However, this rain year, California joined the rest of the country, reporting rainfall totals between October 1 to September 30.  Who expected to have significant rain between July 1 and October 1?  There will always be an asterisk next to the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 rain years on Corralitas Drive.  The 2014-2015 rain year ended with 15.17."  We got an unprecedented 4" between July 1 and September 30. 

Red Car Property: Calm Before The Storm

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, March 11, 2016.  Before the skies went dark this afternoon, it was a beautiful green and blue day on the Red Car Property. 

Red Car Viaduct Footings: Rainfall Totals. Shouldn't Jesus Be Descending From The Clouds?

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, March 6, 2016.  Or, at least the hand of God, reaching down to touch the artist.  

We're tracking rainfall totals in the Corralitas Drive rain gauge:

March 7, 2016: 0.5"
*Rain year to date: 7.94" 

*Normally, the "rain year" would have ended June 30.  However, this rain year, California joined the rest of the country, reporting rainfall totals between October 1 to September 30.  Who expected to have significant rain between July 1 and October 1?  There will always be an asterisk next to the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 rain years on Corralitas Drive.  The 2014-2015 rain year ended with 15.17."  We got an unprecedented 4" between July 1 and September 30.   

Red Car Canyon: Vernal Pools, Rainfall Totals

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, March 6, 2016. A little more than 1" of rain Saturday night into Sunday morning brought Red Car Canyon Lake back to life. 

We're tracking rainfall totals in the Corralitas rain gauge...

March 5 - 6, 2016: 1.2"
*Rain year to date: 7.44"

For more timely updates on storm related happenings, follow us on Twitter: @RedCarProperty

*Normally, the "rain year" would have ended June 30.  However, this rain year, California joined the rest of the country, reporting rainfall totals between October 1 to September 30.  Who expected to have significant rain between July 1 and October 1?  There will always be an asterisk next to the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 rain years on Corralitas Drive.  The 2014-2015 rain year ended with 15.17."  We got an unprecedented 4" between July 1 and September 30.  

Red Car Property Lot C: Vernal Pool & Dumping

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer March 6, 2016.  With just over an inch of rain overnight Saturday into Sunday, the vernal pool on Lot C, north of India Street, stretches nearly across the entire  path. If the rain hits as expected Monday - Tuesday, we might have a tough time navigating this body of water on foot.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, March 6, 2016.  The piles of dumping, trash and construction debris make it tough to go around vernal pool on the side of the path closest to Riverside Drive. The City does not pick up dumping from private property.

For more timely updates on storm related happenings, follow us on Twitter: @RedCarProperty

Red Car Property: Native & Non-Native Landscape

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 28, 2016.  Protected California Black Walnut Trees helps hold the steep slopes together in the rain. This one south grows south of the Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase. Native trees provide habitat for wildlife.

Jade succulents and opuntia cactus are non-natives with shallow roots that do not hold the hillside together, but the plants store water for dry months. They are drought and fire resistant.  I've often seen hawks using the opuntia cactus as a safe place to stalk and eat their prey.  They also provide habitat for wildlife.

The bamboo is growing toward the top of the slope very close to homes on Lake View Ave.   Bamboo grows like weeds and is highly combustible.  When it burns, the gases heat up inside the hollow chambers of the shoot/stem until it explodes, spreading fire in all directions.  

Despite an expected 2.5" of rain by Tuesday, Southern California is in its fifth year of extreme drought.  During the rain this weekend, take the time to contemplate what grows on your own hillside.  

Follow us on Twitter for mudwatch and other breaking neighborhood news: @RedCarProperty
 

Red Car Canyon: The Fog

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 29, 2016.  Such a beautiful, eerie photograph deserved its own post.

Click here for Vandiveer's dramatic photos of the Red Car Property in the mist from the last two days.

Red Car Property: Socked In

*Updated with more photographs

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 29, 2016.  The trail leading up to the property from the historic landmark viaduct footings was cinematic again today. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

How many horror movies have started this way?

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 29, 2016.  Heading south on the Red Car Property, you expect to see ghosts of developers walk out of the fog. 

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 29, 2016.  The trail on the Red Car Property looks more like the road to nowhere.

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 28, 2016.  When does the monster with giant tentacles come through the mist and over the hill?

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 28, 2016.  Stay off the moors.

Remember, the Red Car Property is not a park.  It just looks like one.