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VAIL — A helicopter will be buzzing above West Vail today, removing trees as part of a project to combat the mountain-pine beetle infestation.
About 750 to 1,000 lodgepole pines that were cut last fall on 13 acres of Eagle River Water and Sanitation District land will be taken to a landing area on Vermont Court. From there, the logs will be trucked to a plant in Kremmling to be recycled into wood pellets.
It will take one to two days to complete the helicopter work, according to the town. Work on the ground will continue for about a week. Work will occur from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Residents of West Vail should expect:
• About two to three log trucks a day leaving the area from the Matterhorn neighborhood.
• Some nearby trails will be closed, as will part of Matterhorn Circle.
Do not attempt to approach the work area. Pets should be moved inside.
This is the third year that a helicopter is being used to remove dead timber from Vail’s Intermountain area due to its steep slope. Last year, approximately 6,700 trees were cut, flown and trucked to the pellet plant in Kremmling. In 2006, 2,107 trees were removed by air and trucked to a mill in Silt.
This year’s work is being funded and coordinated by Eagle County with funding help from the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District. The helicopter comes from Timberline Helicopter in Laclede, Idaho.
For more information about the helicopter project, call Eric Lovgren of Eagle County at 328-8742.
Town and Forest Service crews are cutting more than 200 acres of trees around Vail this summer as part of the ongoing Vail Valley Forest Health Plan. The work this season includes cutting, piling and the burning of slash to help regenerate the forest. Aspen stands also are being treated to stimulate new growth.
The town will spend about $530,000 for the work this year, and Eagle County and the U.S. Forest Service will each chip in another $100,000 worth of work.
Forest officials estimate that 90 percent of the mature lodgepole pines in and around Vail will die as a result of the mountain pine beetle infestation.
About 750 to 1,000 lodgepole pines that were cut last fall on 13 acres of Eagle River Water and Sanitation District land will be taken to a landing area on Vermont Court. From there, the logs will be trucked to a plant in Kremmling to be recycled into wood pellets.
It will take one to two days to complete the helicopter work, according to the town. Work on the ground will continue for about a week. Work will occur from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Residents of West Vail should expect:
• About two to three log trucks a day leaving the area from the Matterhorn neighborhood.
• Some nearby trails will be closed, as will part of Matterhorn Circle.
Do not attempt to approach the work area. Pets should be moved inside.
This is the third year that a helicopter is being used to remove dead timber from Vail’s Intermountain area due to its steep slope. Last year, approximately 6,700 trees were cut, flown and trucked to the pellet plant in Kremmling. In 2006, 2,107 trees were removed by air and trucked to a mill in Silt.
This year’s work is being funded and coordinated by Eagle County with funding help from the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District. The helicopter comes from Timberline Helicopter in Laclede, Idaho.
For more information about the helicopter project, call Eric Lovgren of Eagle County at 328-8742.
Town and Forest Service crews are cutting more than 200 acres of trees around Vail this summer as part of the ongoing Vail Valley Forest Health Plan. The work this season includes cutting, piling and the burning of slash to help regenerate the forest. Aspen stands also are being treated to stimulate new growth.
The town will spend about $530,000 for the work this year, and Eagle County and the U.S. Forest Service will each chip in another $100,000 worth of work.
Forest officials estimate that 90 percent of the mature lodgepole pines in and around Vail will die as a result of the mountain pine beetle infestation.
