Six months after a devastating early-autumn snowstorm wrecked hundreds of trees in the south valley, city officials and residents are preparing to assess the full extent of damage. A proposed inventory of trees on public property in Hailey could help protect these valuable public assets.
The storm peaked during the wee hours of Monday morning, Oct. 5, surprising the city with 8 inches of wet and heavy snow. Trees from Hailey to Bellevue, still in full leaf from summer, were felled or damaged by the weight of the snow. Ketchum was largely spared by the storm.
City crews worked overtime to clear fallen branches and dangerous dangling ones from the city rights of way. Many fallen trees were cut up and removed. Hailey spent about $60,000 during the cleanup. Bellevue spent $14,000. Yet the job is not complete.
"There is still some work to be done," said Hailey Public Works Director Tom Hellen. "We will have to wait for some leaves to start showing up to do an official review."
Arborist and Hailey Tree Committee Chair Jen Smith hopes the city will undertake a complete inventory of trees on the city's public property this summer. She said the inventory would count trees of many species, record their condition and assess dollar amounts for their replacement value.
"They are assets like sidewalks and streets, only they are living and growing," said Smith, who also works as Ketchum parks superintendent.
She said an inventory of 60 percent of Ketchum's public property calculated a replacement value of $1 million for the trees there.
Smith said Hailey's tree inventory would share equipment with Ketchum and cost Hailey about $7,000, including expenses for software and data collection.
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Hailey Tree Committee member and arborist Bill Josey said the "freak timing" of last year's storm damaged more than half the trees in Hailey and Bellevue. His company, ArborCare Resources, was hired to trim and remove trees on public and private property following the storm.
Josey said most deciduous trees will be budding out in May. If they don't show leaves by mid-June, it likely means they did not survive the winter.
"A lot of broken branches are still hanging out there," Josey said. "It will take until October to take care of them all."
Josey said proper trimming of damaged trees protects them from insects and disease. He recommends visiting the International Society of Arboriculture Web site (http://www.isa-arbor.com) for tree pruning guidance, or hire a professional.
"With small trees and shrubs, most homeowners can do a fair job of trimming with some professional guidance. Otherwise, a lot of harm can be done. Many people kill trees with kindness."
Bellevue City Administrator Tom Blanchard said his city hired three work crews for three full days to provide initial cleanup after the storm.
"At first it was a public safety issue," he said. "Now we are going out to see what we have to do for the health of the tree. I just don't know if the funds are there to pay for it."
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
An early-autumn snowstorm last year in Hailey damaged hundreds of trees. Photo by Willy Cook
