Crews removing 500 dead trees across post

Work crews are removing about 500 dead trees in the cantonment area and other parts of Fort Sill frequented by people.

Drought conditions the last two years killed most of the trees, which are primarily being removed to help keep people safe and protect property.

Crews from Work Service Corporation of Wichita Falls will remove 300 trees, the other 200 will be removed by Bordwine Development of Chickasha.

Trees marked for removal, outside of post housing, have an orange tag located on the trunk; most will be dropped in fall and all should be removed by winter's end. Dead trees in post housing areas will be removed by Picerne Military Housing crews, said Hieu Dang, DPW operations and maintenance branch chief.

Amber McNeil, Picerne communications manager, said the company is working with the Fort Sill Garrison and professional arborists on the project. Those tree care professionals are surveying Fort Sill one neighborhood at a time to determine which trees to remove and then send in crews to do the work.

"We've presented information at the last two Sill Facts meetings on this project and through our newsletters to alert Fort Sill residents of our plans to remove trees from their neighborhoods," she said. "We also communicate with residents in affected neighborhoods to let them know when crews will be in their areas."

So far, crews have removed dead trees from Quanah Parker and Academic Heights neighborhoods. They are now removing trees in the Old Post Quadrangle neighborhood. Arborists will then move on to survey other neighborhoods, determine which trees to cull and mark them for removal.

McNeil added the arborists decide which trees need to be removed, regardless of their overall appearance.

"Experts have told us even trees that still display some green may be removed as the tree's overall health is bad," she said.

She reminded residents if anyone has concerns about trees and believe they need immediate attention, they should call their neighborhood office.

Upon completing the removal phase across post, Picerne will address replanting efforts with the garrison.

Dang said workers will plant about 400 trees and shrubs in areas outside residential neighborhoods.

"We consulted subject matter experts at Oklahoma State University and local tree nursery owners for suggestions on trees and shrubs that will do well in this climate," said Mark Hill, Directorate of Public Works grounds quality assurance evaluator.

Officials also considered aesthetics and visual appeal of the new trees that will be planted.

"We looked at shrubs and trees that will provide beautiful foliage in the spring and fall with the intent in five to 10 years we should have some boulevards with nice trees that turn colors in the fall for all to enjoy," said Dang.

Possible plantings are Bur Oak, Shantung Maple, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Chinese Pistache and Oklahoma Redbud.

Hill said the new trees will get a good start toward establishing themselves as the healthy next generation of foliage. Most will be 8 to 12 feet in height and 2 to 4 inches in diameter about 6 inches up from the root ball.

Contractors will haul cut up trees to the post landfill where they will be stacked and later chipped into mulch.

Glen Wheat, DPW environmental quality division chief, said the wood is stacked in a manner that aids heavy equipment operators to work with it. For safety reasons, people should not enter the area if they are interested in cutting wood for home use.

People who want to cut wood on post must take the Fort Sill hunter safety class at the natural resources classroom in Building 1465. The next class is Nov. 3. Then, they must purchase a $10 permit at Sportsman Services in Building 1458 to cut firewood on post.

"The staff will also assist woodcutters in determining what portions of the ranges are open for access and check them out into those locations," said Wheat.