Emergency Forest Defense: Lompico Headwaters Monday April 27, Tuesday April 28 ++?

Starting Monday April 27 8am we need to do an Emergency Defense of Healthy Riparian, Steep Slope, and Old Growth Trees surrounding upper Lompico Creek and Lompico Headwaters as PG$E and their subcontractor are attempting further tree massacre in environmentally sensitive areas.

This is an extreme escalation of PG$E’s money-making and PR campaign of cutting trees so they don’t have to upgrade to insulated power lines that would largely solve the problem of wildfires started by electrical lines. PG$E cutting down of any and all trees, including healthy trees, that have any potential whatsoever to strike a power line if the tree were to fall, and the more trees they cut down the more they pass the costs of tree cutting on to the PG&E ratepayers while doing little to nothing to prevent wildfires.

Riparian trees growing alongside streams and creekbeds are the best watered trees and highly unlikely to burn and are environmentally critical. They provide critical shade canopy cover for the steelhead bearing Lompico Creek, which is also home to many other endangered or threatened species. Upper Lompico Creek is already at maximum water temperature for steelhead habitat and further diminishing of the forest canopy increases sunlight on the creek and water temperatures. Lompico Creek is also at maximum sediment load and the disturbances caused by the tree cutters and the erosion caused by removing trees and resulting root rot exacerbates these problems.

Mill Creek in Lompico has already been decimated by unauthorized tree removal as have many steep slopes with active landslides in this area. A recent study by the Lompico Neighborhood Association shows that the project targets absentee landowners (with no authorization to cut their trees) and steep slopes for tree removal (not just trimming around power lines) and that 50%+ of the full tree removals are on 50%+ degree slopes in the Santa Cruz Mountains, including on active landslides.

PG$E consistently uses coercive tactics to get “consent” to cutting down trees and forcing their way onto private property to cut trees, often telling residents they have to agree to allowing PG$E subcontractors on their property or that they will have to sign liability waivers and pay for all damage if they refuse.

The section of trees that PG$E is targeting for early next week and possibly into or beyond midweek was just cut at the end of March and beginning of April, and aside from 1 tree the owners wanted cut because it was in fact dying, of the rest of the trees cut by PG$E subcontractors only 1 was slightly diseased and all of the others proved to be healthy: after they were cut down there was no sign of disease in the stumps nor in the cuttings.

It is best to try to come early morning before 7:30am, or at least by 8am, to get scarce parking spaces.

News articles on decimation of trees and environment in Santa Cruz Mountains/ Lompico Area:
https://santacruzlocal.org/2026/03/12/santa-cruz-mountains-residents-clash-with-pge-over-tree-cutting/?utm_source=nextdoor.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=nextdoor_news&fbclid=IwY2xjawQgMlxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEecEN--50z7s55a_eC5g0FuKgBhTVhrcfDrIZu6NAv4OU_1W_FfeqlvapNB_A_aem_beqyKk-HE_mQPVx1M1LhJg

https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2026/03/03/san-lorenzo-valley-residents-voice-tree-work-concerns-at-pge-town-hall/

https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=santa+cruz+sentinel+pg%26e+tree+cutting+santa+cruz+mountains&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

ALL OUT MONDAY and TUESDAY for SHOWDOWN Save Our Environment from PG$E
For More Info Contact: Jim 1.408.634.9749 phone or text or Jim.Vivian [at] yahoo.com