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Annually, personnel with the Forestry Office of the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch inspect trees throughout Fort McCoy in high-traffic areas that need trimming and arbor work completed on them.
In January and February, dozens of trees were pruned, trimmed, and even removed through a contractor, said Fort McCoy Forester James Kerkman.
“We have this work done primarily to improve safety as well as to improve the health of trees,” Kerkman said.
One area where extensive tree pruning took place was at the Pine View Campground picnic area.
“The south half of the picnic area had large trees pruned of several dead and hazardous branches,” Kerkman said. “The pruning of the north half of the picnic area is planned next year. With the available funding, I focused on the more heavily used area to remove hazards and improve safety.”
Kerkman said younger trees were pruned near the Installation Safety Office, too. “This work improved the trees’ structure and raised the crown to prevent conflicts with mowing, pedestrian movements, and parking,” he said.
In front of the Fort McCoy Commissary and Exchange, two large oaks were pruned of dead and hazardous branches to increase safety, as well.
“There are more trees in that area that are marked for removal,” Kerkman said.
On South Post, where County Highway A meets State Highway 16, a contractor also began work on removing large pine trees near the Fort McCoy stone gates on that location. The gates were built by the Works Progress Administration from 1940-41.
Work in this area actually started last summer, but wet ground forced the contractor to wait until the ground froze, Kerkman said.
“The pine trees were part of the original design, but they have grown so large they present a falling hazard and could damage the gates,” Kerkman said. “A few years ago, one of the trees that has multiple stems lost a stem in a storm, … but (it) luckily missed the stone gate. The stem was 18 inches in diameter and 40 feet long.”
New white pine trees will be planted in place of the old trees later this spring, Kerkman said.
Trees also were removed within 20 feet of the cantonment security fence north of Pine View Campground for security purposes, he said.
“I also plan on having some trees along Quarry Hill road (on South Post) removed sometime this spring that are impacting traffic,” Kerkman said.
The purpose of the Fort McCoy Forestry Program is to provide a scientific basis for managing the forest resources, Kerkman said.
The major forest types present on post are scrub oak, jack pine, oak, red pine, and white pine. Lesser amounts of aspen, red maple, and paper birch are present.
(The Fort McCoy Forestry Office contributed to this article.)
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2018 12:12 |
| Story ID: | 268604 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Hometown: | RUBICON, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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