Cutting Hazard Trees:
The First Step Back Into The Forest

A forest of burned trees is a dangerous place.  Dead or dying trees-their trunks, roots and branches weakened by fire-can easily topple.  A sad example is the tree that fell on a firefighter in a burned area of the Missionary Ridge Fire, killing him instantly.

The first step in making the forest safe is to start removing trees that pose a hazard.  The burn area is far too large to remove all the hazard trees, so the first priority will be the roads and trails (the areas people use most), and trees on residential boundaries.

The Forest Service is planning to cut hazard trees along more than 250 miles of Forest Service roads and trails, and on forest land adjacent to residences within the burn area.  (Trees within 100 feet will be evaluated for felling).  About 10,000 acres will be subject to treatment. On about 1600 acres, trees will be felled and removed through commercial timber sale. Cut trees on the remaining acreage will be left in place.

Generally, a tree will be declared a hazard tree if it is dead or most of its crown is scorched; more than 50 percent of its circumference at its based is charred; its root system is burned or compromised; or there's presence of insect activity.

Most of the work will be completed by fall, 2002, but some work may extend into the summer and fall of 2003.       

In the wake of the 2002 Hayman and Schoonover wildfires, the Pike National Forest will be cutting hazard trees along more than 250 miles of Forest Service roads and trails and on forest land adjacent to residences within the burned area. This work would occur in Jefferson, El Paso, Douglas, Teller and Park Counties, Colorado. It is anticipated that the majority of the work will be completed by this fall, though some of the work may extend into summer or early fall 2003.

• Why is the Pike National Forest proposing to cut trees burned in the Hayman Fire?
• Why doesn’t the Forest Service cut hazard trees throughout the entire burned area instead of being limited to primarily roads, trails and around residences?
• What is the scope of the project?
• How do you identify a hazard tree?
• Will these trees be cut for a timber sale?
• What will be done with those hazard trees that are not commercially harvested?
• Will cutting require skid trails that could damage soils?
• What measures will be taken to prevent erosion in cut areas?
• What is the timing for this project?
• What type of environmental analysis will be done in regard to this project?

A. Safety is our first priority, for both forest users and Forest Service employees. Dead or dying trees, with their roots and branches weakened by fire, can easily topple, posing a serious safety risk to both people and property. This was evidenced during the recent Missionary Ridge Fire, where a firefighter was killed by a still live tree that fell on him as he worked in the burned area.

Q. Why doesn’t the Forest Service cut hazard trees throughout the entire burned area instead of being limited to primarily roads, trails and around residences?

A. The Hayman Fire burned a very large area within the Pike National Forest. The area It is simply too large to remove all hazard trees that are within the burned area perimeter. However, since the most serious risk to people and property is along roads and trails, as well as in areas that abut residences, that’s where we are concentrating our efforts. The remainder of the burned area of the forest remains closed to public access. Hazards include trees or parts of trees falling on people and property, blocking roads and trails or creating associated hazards.

Q. What is the scope of the project?

A. Approximately 250 miles of roads and trails within the perimeter of the burned area will be evaluated for hazard tree treatment, as well as those forest areas that abut residences. Hazard trees within 100 feet of a road, trail or residential boundaries may be felled and removed. Thus, approximately 10,000 acres of forest land will be subject to treatment.
Of the total, approximately 8,400 acres of hazard trees will be felled and left in place, with the work performed through a combination of service contractors and U.S. Forest Service personnel. The remaining 1,600 acres would be felled through salvage timber sale contracts with the merchantable trees removed, thus reducing the overall taxpayer costs for the project. Cut trees on the remaining acreage will be left in place. Hazard trees would be cut along about 250 miles of roads, trails and property boundaries. (that could fall across a road, trail or boundary) would also be removed.

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Q. How do you identify a hazard tree?

A. A hazard tree is a dead or damaged tree that can fall across a road, trail or property. Burned trees would be cut if they meet at least one of the following criteria, indicating they will die or be a hazard:

• A majority of the tree’s crown is scorched;
• Fifty percent or more of the tree’s circumference at its base is charred. This may also create pitch streaming. With pitch streaming occurring and significant charring, a tree will likely die;
• The root system of the tree has burned or been compromised, making it unstable, or the tree has burned-out stump holes within three feet of it. These will generally produce enough heat to kill a significant portion of the roots;
• The presence of insect activity (boring holes, frass, boring dust). This indicates that a tree is going to die.
• There are few or no needles left.
• Less than 30 percent of the crown is still green.
• Sixty percent or more of the bole (trunk) of the tree is scorched.

Q. Will these trees be cut for a timber sale?

A. We expect that approximately 1,600 acres, or about 16 percent of the total area to be treated for hazard tree removal, will be treated through commercial timber sale. It’s expected that these trees will yield about 2 million board feet of timber. The remaining hazard trees in the treated areas will be felled in place. The commercial portion of the hazard tree removal effort is expected to begin by mid-September, once the bid solicitation process is complete.

Q. What will be done with those hazard trees that are not commercially harvested?

A. In general, those trees would be felled and left in place. There may be instances where some would be contour-felled; i.e. felled or placed in a manner that would assist us in our efforts to stabilize soils, reducing erosion or preventing debris from entering watershed areas and streams.

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Q. Will cutting require skid trails that could damage soils?

A. Skidding would occur mostly on roads to minimize ground disturbance. Where skidding from roads is not appropriate, short skid trails lying perpendicular to the roadway would be used.

Q. What measures will be taken to prevent erosion in cut areas?

A. Disturbed soils would be rehabilitated using mulch, seeding, and/or planting. Damaged cut and fill slopes would be re-contoured.

Q. What is the timing for this project?

A. The hazard tree removal program began August 27, 2002. Most of the work is expected to be completed fall, 2002, enabling the Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) hydro-mulching to occur along the roads and trails. Some of the hazard tree work, however, will continue through summer and fall of 2003.

Q. What type of environmental analysis will be done in regard to this project?

A. This project falls under Forest Service Categorical Exclusion 31.1b.4: “Repair and maintenance of roads, trails and landline boundaries.” It involves activities normally undertaken to maintain roads, trails and boundaries, and would not have a significant effect on the human environment.

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