City removes trees from Courthouse area
A row of tree stumps lines highway 93 just south of the old courthouse on Monday afternoon in Kalispell. The trees were cut down on Monday by crews from Parks and Rec.
Billy Salmonsen of the city Parks and Rec Department loads branches and debris into a dump truck on Monday afternoon south of the courthouse in Kalispell.
Kalispell city employees spent time Sunday and Monday removing 18 dead trees near the Flathead County Courthouse.
Kalispell Parks and Recreation Director Mike Baker said the trees, which were primarily Norway maples but also included two ash trees, likely died due to a variety of factors. Magnesium chloride on the streets, salt on the sidewalks and installation of sidewalks in the area were the likely culprits.
“That’s a very harsh environment for these trees to even exist,” he said.
Trees eventually will be replanted on the site, located between U.S. 93 and First Avenue West. That will wait until after the Montana Department of Transportation completes a street reconstruction in the area, he said.
In addition to those trees, there are a number of American elm trees in the city that are suffering from Dutch elm disease. So far the city has removed 130 of these trees through federal grant funding. There are at least 237 American elm trees left in the city, many of which are still in good shape, he said.