The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980

Hazard Trees taken down on Flesher

Working in coordination with Montana Department of Transportation crews, eight sawyers with the Lincoln Ranger District took down dozens of hazard trees along Highway 279 near the top of Flesher Pass.

Lincoln District Ranger Michael Stansberry said the trees taken down were those that had the greatest potential for impacting the highway.

Questions about removing the dead trees have recurred

several times in the last two years, due to the high number of beetle killed trees in the Flesher Pass area. Concerns about accidents or road hazards involving downed or falling trees along the road have been growing as the root systems supporting trees killed by Mountain Pine Beetle nearly a decade have begun failing at a higher rate recently.

MDT crews moved and decked many of the logs near the Flesher Pass CDT camp ground, but many trees remain on the side hill and in the ditches along the highway.

Stansberry said ranger district will continue working with MDT crews this week to move the logs and he expects to have them all moved to the deck by the end of the week. Once all the downed trees are moved, they will be measured and evaluated to determine if any are marketable.

Until then, the logs aren't available for firewood cutting, but Stansberry expects that most of them will be made available for firewood. He also asks that people refrain from taking any of the trees still lying along the highway for firewood, in part because they haven't been evaluated and in part due to safety concerns.

"They're not in a safe location right now, especially with the weather predicted this week," he said. "I'm just asking for patience."

If all goes well, a determination on the logs should be made by the end of the week.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 02/12/2024 22:28