COMMUNITY

Hazardous tree removal process begins this month

Beginning this month, Marion County’s recovery from the 2020 wildfires will enter a new phase with the assessment and removal of wildfire-damaged trees along Marion County roads and rights-of-way. 

Tree removal will be performed by K&E Excavating, headquartered in Salem, under a contract with the Debris Management Task Force managed by Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). 

Over the next few weeks, Task Force-contracted arborists will be identifying wildfire-damaged trees that are dead or dying and marking those trees with a blue dot. 

The health of each tree will be assessed, even those that may have been marked for removal during earlier tree assessments. Healthy trees will be left standing.

Tree removal will only occur within Marion County rights-of-way, in county parks and on those private parcels that have opted into the state’s hazard tree removal program. If you are a property owner that has not submitted a Marion County Right-of-Entry agreement for hazard tree removal then arborists will not enter upon your property and no trees will be removed from your property. The Task Force will be sending additional information about the hazard tree removal process directly to property owners that have opted into the program.

For more information on wildfire recovery in Marion County, visit www.co.marion.or.us/PW/EmergencyManagement/Fire/Pages/default.aspx.