The fear that loud, destructive rotating equipment noise will be a part of your day seems certain.
From the rotating equipment that will be used for smaller trees to the strain gaging services that will be involved in the removal of the largest tress, the quiet and peaceful lake that you have become so accustomed to is going to change.
The news that the local authorities are clear-cutting 40 acres of trees at the local lake has set off a contentious discussion. In the last two weeks there have been TV news reports and a front-page news paper article about the Army Corps of Engineers and City’s plan to cut down 40 acres of trees and habitat around the perimeter of a popular recreational area. “Save the Local Habitat” is a group of people trying to stop this action. Everywhere you turn you can get information about the plan, and how you can help the opposition promote a much less expensive solution, and a way to save the habitat.
The city continues to share its support for the plan to clear a 30’ wide strip around the boundary of lake for several reasons. In this particular area there had been a mower strip that was periodicity mowed to maintain access to a sewer easement along the home owner’s back property line. This area has become overgrown to the point if the sewer ever needed to be accessed, as it has in the past, they could not without cutting down trees. There are currently several dead pine trees within 30 feet of the properly line, which creates a fire hazard that could spread to trees on private property creating a fire hazard for the subdivision. In addition, the 30 feet of cleared trees would allow mowing to keep down weeds and brush. The Army Corps of Engineers went to look at the area that has been cleared and it looks barely wide enough to provide for maintenance, especially when trees outside the 30’ are large with branches extending over the cleared strip. It is the Corps’ believe that the removal of trees will have minimal impact on wildlife and may even be a benefit as there is ample thick cover around the lake remaining.
Force Measurement and Rotating Equipment Can Make Quick Work of a Stnd Full of Trees
As you watched one of the city engineers talk about the use of the new electrochemical fatigue crack sensor system that can detect cracks in the field as small as 0.01 inches in an actual structure, all you could think about were the trees. And as you listened to the sounds of the rotating equipment that you know included saw blades removing the trees, you can still remember the days your own young children spent at the lake hiking and biking.
At a time when the national news is full of problems caused by the California fires, there are some people in this midwestern city citing the west coast disaster as reason enough that the local trees need to be cleared. Others, however, indicate that the California example does not really compare. In that state, they have one to two months of green then it turns brown the rest of the year. The midwest, in comparison, has a Humid Continental climate. The supporters protest that this big difference between the two means that the removal of these trees is a non environmentally friendly situation. In fact, the protestors point out that in the area they do not remember many “forest fires” in the news. Grass fires, yes, but forrest fires, no. With a growing number of people saying that the fire hazard should be minimal in the area, the closest home owners wish the Corps of Engineers and the City would have explained why they did not send a notice to advise people that gardens, bird baths, and personal items do not belong on any area in the park that they are not paying house taxes. These same property owners point out that if there are fox, deer, and coyotes in yards now, wait until these animals environments are taken away.
