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Dead trees yanked from Blue River roadsides

CADDIE NATH
SUMMIT DAILY NEWS
Special to the Daily
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The roads of Blue River will be a little safer this winter, from falling trees at least.

The town has been successful this year in getting both the Colorado Department of Transportation and residents to remove dead trees that pose a threat to local roads.

“The town of Blue River, we’re serious about this, because, first off, those dead standing trees are hazardous and then there’s a fire risk,” Blue River Trustee Jon Warnick said.



Dead trees along roadsides in Blue River have been known to fall, posing a danger to drivers and blocking road access.

Blue River encouraged residents to remove dead trees from their property this year by issuing abatements and came to an agreement with CDOT to have dangerous dead trees along parts of Highway 9 removed.



CDOT covered the full $4,800 cost of the tree removal project, which involved cutting down approximately 100 dead trees along stretches of Highway 9 in Blue River. The project, completed by Beetle Kill Tree Guys, a Frisco-based company, will open up the sides of the road.

“If it poses a safety hazard to the traveling public it’s something that we’re going to take care of and spend money on,” CDOT spokesman Bob Wilson said of the decision to fund the project. “If somebody brings something to our attention that may pose a hazard then we go in and take a look. If we agree that this could be a hazardous situation then we go ahead and take care of it. This is one of those instances.”

The project took about four days total, though winter weather did cause some disruption in the work.

The town also saw reasonable success getting local residents to take down dead trees by issuing abatement notices rather than offering financial incentives, as was done in previous years, Warnick said.

“We asked people in the spring (to remove their dead trees) and we had a good portion who did,” Blue River Mayor Lindsay Backas said. “Then we had those who ignored us completely and we will be taking down those trees for them.”

Blue River trustees set the example for residents by investing approximately $2,500 to remove hazardous dead trees from its own property as well. Tree removal efforts have wrapped up for the winter, but will continue again in the spring, Backas said.

SDN reporter Caddie Nath can be reached at (970) 668-4628 or at cnath@summitdaily.com.


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