Tree Firm Accused of Negligence

 

A California tree-removal firm was fired in August for violating rules while removing close to 3,000 bark-beetle-damaged pines, like these being cut by another crew in Arizona.

A company hired to remove dead and diseased trees was dropped by San Bernardino County, Calif. supervisors in August after complaints that it operated without loggers’ insurance, chopped down the wrong trees and spoiled the landscape.

County officials concluded that A.J. Acosta Inc., based in Big Bear Lake, was an irresponsible contractor and forbade it to submit tree-removal bids for two years.

The company was among 27 hired by the county to remove trees from mountain areas burned in devastating 2003 wildfires.

Officials say the company allowed leaking hydraulic fluid to flow into a stream, chopped down some trees on 10 acres of U.S. Forest Service land, felled healthy trees, scattered branches on private property and destroyed a building foundation tagged as a cultural resource site.

The county panel’s report also said workers left behind trees or large limbs that teetered precariously.

Andy Acosta, who owns the company, denied the accusations at a board meeting, saying that although “there are some mistakes, it wasn’t our [company’s] mistake.”

A.J. Acosta Inc. and the other firms were awarded contracts to cut down trees that bark beetles had attacked, allowing rot to become established.

Officials estimate that about 900,000 dead trees, which pose a serious fire hazard, remain on private land in the San Bernardino Mountains.

“It was a real gift for everyone in the mountains,” said Theodore Golondzinier, assistant director of operations for the county’s Department of Public Works.
Acosta was also the lowest bidder on five additional contracts, totaling nearly $268,000, to remove about 1,800 trees. The county will allow other companies to apply for those contracts.
—L.A. Times