City of Mitchell sets tree cleanup for today

Talk about it

And now, the cleanup.

The city of Mitchell will remove storm-damaged trees today, four days after powerful winds wrenched trees from the ground across the city and scattered limbs on lawns, streets and sidewalks.

Trees and branches should be placed in the boulevard by 7 a.m. for free pick-up. Only trees placed in the boulevard will be removed.

In addition, the city landfill will accept trees damaged by the storm free of charge until its normal closing time of 1 p.m. Saturday. Normal landfill rates will still apply for other items.

Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department Director Dusty Rodiek said dozens of trees were uprooted in the city.

Rodiek said an exact count may never be known, but the storm damaged or destroyed numerous trees. “We’re just starting to deal with this,” he said.

Friday night’s storm was the second major weather event in Mitchell in three days, and Rodiek said the tree loss was linked to both.

“That four-inch rain that we had didn’t help our cause,” he said. “It really softened the ground.”

Rodiek said some of the trees that were lost had reached maturity and were on the decline. Their root systems may not have been as strong as they once were, and winds measured at peaks of 70 mph spelled doom for them, he said.

But Rodiek said the city will replace the fallen trees.

“The city has a strong replanting program, not only on boulevards but in parks,” he said.

Rodiek said some trees may be replaced this fall, but the majority will be replaced next spring.

Todd Russell, the landfill’s weigh master, said trees and limbs started arriving on Saturday.

Russell has worked at the landfill more than seven years. “This is one of the bigger ones,” he said of the amount of trees and limbs brought in.

Tags: city of mitchell, news, local, weather