Re-Marking of Hazard Trees Underway Soon

When hazard trees were originally marked – between January and April of this year – several hundred trees statewide showed signs that they had at least a slim chance of survival. Trees may have demonstrated a greenery crown scorch right at the minimum threshold or a bark char marginal enough to give it a possibility of pulling through.

“We took a very conservative approach to marking trees for removal,” explained Task Force Senior Forest Analyst Reggie Fay. “If there were not obvious signs that a tree was going to die in the next three to five years, we put it on the watch list.”

The “watch list” includes several hundred trees, including along the Highway 126 corridor, that were on the bubble of needing to be removed.

Certified arborists will be reassessing and re-marking the watch list trees over the coming weeks. In some cases, trees will show enough signs of survival (mainly needles that are staying green) to be deemed okay to leave standing. Many, however, will demonstrate worsened signs that they will die completely within the next three to five years and will need to be marked for removal.

To read more about the re-marking process, please visit www.debriscleanupnews.com/post/conservative-approach-to-hazard-tree-operations-includes-reassessing-hundreds-of-trees.

Hazard tree removal along County-maintained roads

Properties adjacent to County-maintained roads are eligible to receive free removal of hazard trees that pose a danger to the public road or road right-of-way. This is part of the State’s cleanup process.

Why do I need a separate agreement when McKenzie Highway properties didn’t?

Unlike the State’s rules for highways, Lane County does not have automatic authority to enter private property in order to remove trees that are hazardous to County-maintained roads. A separate agreement is required in order to grant access. If you have signed a Right-of-Entry for cleanup, you must still opt in to this program by submitting a county tree permit form. 

Will I have a say in which trees are removed?

Yes, you can select an option that requires the property owner or designee to sign off on any tree removals. If you select this option you are also agreeing to accept liability for damages if you keep a tree deemed hazardous by the Oregon Debris Management Task Force (DMTF) and that tree later falls into the road right-of-way.

Who decides which trees are hazards?

The DMTF certified arborists are evaluating trees. The arborists must be certified by the International Society of Arboriculture with 5+ years experience in post-wildfire assessments in NW USA Conifer forests with mixed deciduous tree stands or professional foresters with the same experience.

Learn more and sign up for the program at www.mckenzierebuilds.org/countyroads.