Officials assess local tree damage
Jack Willems
Issue date: 2/13/09 Section: News
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"We are going to go back out and take a fresh look at things to see what needs to be done," said Ron Edwards, director of Facilities Management. "Certainly, we will replant where trees are conspicuously absent."
University officials may have to pick and choose what they will replant.
The ice storm caused an estimated $700,000 worth of damage to the university, said James Ezell, program director for the UA. Most of the damage was to the university farm and to trees on campus, he said. The university's insurance policy will give it a maximum of $50,000 to replace trees, despite the fact that the university has a $100,000 per event deductible, Ezell said.
University officials discovered UA trees were insured the last time a storm damaged campus property in the 1980s. There is no way to know just how many of the trees will be replanted, Edwards said.
"I hope within a week or two all the debris will be cleaned up," he said.
The vast majority of trees on campus experienced damage, and Facilities Management began removing tree limbs from the roads Jan. 27, Edwards said. The grounds crew originally had 20 people in it to help remove the limbs, but that number grew to 32 when the labor shop and carpenter shop were incorporated into the crew, he said.
Three contractors were brought in to clean up the mess, and all of the crews continued to work through last Saturday until the contractors were temporarily pulled away, Edwards said.
The cleanup effort also certainly was helped by the Associated Student Government's Campus Restoration Day, he said.
"They were a great help," Edwards said. "We think we have a pretty good handle on things now."
In a matter of hours, hundreds of students picked up smaller limbs that would have taken the cleanup crews days to pick up, said Steve Voorhies, manager of media relations. Campus Restoration Day is considered to be a great success by the university and was huge help, he said.
Wood from the debris is being taken to two areas: on the east side of Lot 56 and on another lot behind Sonic on Martin Luther King Boulevard, Edwards said.
The fallen branches will be ground up to make mulch for the university, and that mulch probably will be used around the southern part of campus, Edwards said.
The campuswide damage done to the trees came as a result of an ice storm that closed the university for four consecutive days for the first time in its history. Classes were canceled, and all nonessential staff members were told to stay home.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
6yrhog
posted 2/13/09 @ 7:59 AM CST
I am sad to hear about the extensive damage to the trees on campus. It will take decades to replace the beauty of some of the older trees. I hope that those who chose the replacement trees will lean heavily towards maples and other trees that turn brilliant colors in the fall to replace the deciduous trees that were lost. (Continued…)
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