For decades, a dense wall of eucalyptus trees towered over the backyards of homes in Montara, growing unchecked on land Caltrans bought but never used. Now crews are cutting it down, clearing 15 acres of the state agency's land in the San Mateo County coastal town as part of a $500,000 wildfire mitigation effort.
Caltrans purchased the 100-acre right-of-way decades ago to build a surface bypass around the landslide-prone Devil's Slide stretch of Highway 1, according to NBC Bay Area. The agency never built that road, and the land instead became strips of dense, flammable forest pressed right up against the neighborhood, the outlet reports. The eucalyptus stand towered over nearby homes for years before anyone forced the issue.
How Residents Pushed Caltrans Into Action
Larry De Young led the fight to get Caltrans to remove the trees, and homeowners in Montara pushed the agency to act ahead of fire season, per the same report. De Young said the clearing work began within 14 months of residents launching their campaign — a fast turnaround for a state bureaucracy that had let the land sit for over a decade. That grassroots pressure lines up with a broader campaign launched around the same time: according to Coastside Buzz, local residents formed the group Red Alert Montara, Moss Beach in February 2025 to lobby officials, estimating that an unmitigated wildfire on the parcel could endanger roughly 2,400 nearby homes across Montara and Moss Beach.
The Montara Water and Sanitary District added its own warning in May 2025, telling state officials that a wildfire starting on the overgrown Caltrans parcel directly threatens critical local infrastructure, including groundwater wells, water storage tanks, and municipal watershed land. Midcoast community organizers also flagged that Highway 1 serves as the single coastal evacuation route for Montara residents, creating severe bottleneck risks if a fast-moving fire broke out.
Why Eucalyptus Poses Such a Fire Risk
Eucalyptus bark can be deadly in a wildfire, and debris from the trees can fly thousands of feet during a wind event, NBC Bay Area reports. That danger is grounded in the tree's biology: research from the University of California, Berkeley describes how blue gum eucalyptus trees feature loose peeling bark and volatile canopy oils that can launch burning embers 20 miles or more downwind during high-wind events.
The regulatory trigger for the current work traces back to updated 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, which classified at least 90 percent of Caltrans' Devil's Slide bypass right-of-way as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, according to Caltrans. Crews are now using chainsaws, excavators and chippers to clear the trees, reducing fire hazards by putting the forest into a safer condition, the station's report notes. Dozens of trees have been marked in red to designate them for cutting, though crews are leaving some mature trees and any with active bird nests standing.
A Bigger Buffer Than Originally Planned
Cal Fire advised Caltrans to double the originally planned firebreak, and the agency has done so, creating a 30-foot barrier around its right-of-way instead of the narrower buffer first proposed. The tree-clearing work will last about another month, per the outlet, and once finished, the eucalyptus stand will be reduced to stumps and wood chips.
That is not the end of the story, though. The trees will throw seeds after the current clearing work, and the forest will grow back, meaning long-term protection for the community requires a strategy of cutting down trees every few years, NBC Bay Area reports.
Why the Land Sat Untouched for So Long
The land's odd, unused status has deep roots. Caltrans originally acquired the 100-acre right-of-way through eminent domain during the 1970s and 1980s for a planned surface freeway bypass known as the Martini Creek alignment, according to KQED. That plan was scrapped after San Mateo County voters passed Measure T in November 1996 with nearly 74 percent approval, amending the county's Local Coastal Program to require a tunnel through San Pedro Mountain instead of an overland freeway.
The $439 million Tom Lantos Tunnels opened to traffic in March 2013, permanently bypassing Devil's Slide and leaving the inland Martini Creek right-of-way surplus, without routine highway maintenance, for more than a decade. That gap in oversight is what allowed the non-native eucalyptus groves to mature directly against residential yards in the first place.
What Happens to the Land Next
The long-term fate of the property remains unresolved. Under San Mateo County's Local Coastal Program Policy 11.33, Caltrans cannot sell or transfer title of the bypass land to local public entities without a California Coastal Commission-certified Specific Plan that prioritizes public recreation and open space. Local water officials have expressed interest in acquiring the parcel for watershed protection, but that transfer cannot move forward until the required planning process plays out.
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