PRUNING AT THE PARK ; Insect-Damaged Trees Cut at Garden of Gods

By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD

There’s a rumble floating across the gullies and rocky spires of Garden of the Gods park this summer — and it’s not the roar of tourists on Harley-Davidsons or Texans in RVs.

To reduce what they say is a wildfire risk posed by overgrown and dead oak brush in the park, city officials are in the third year of an effort to remove trees.

This year, for the first time, they are using heavy equipment and venturing into the rugged backcountry of the park to remove entire “clumps” of dead trees.

“Sometimes, doing nothing is as significant as doing something,” said city forester Dennis Will, on a media tour of the project Tuesday. “In this case, I think doing nothing would be a mistake.”

The problem is the result of decades of roller-coaster-like weather. Too many wet years in the 1970s and ’80s caused the oak to boom in the park. When the drought hit in the late 1990s, an insect known as the Gambel oak borer took advantage of the weak trees, killing many across the park.

The insect is native, though, and the next step in the natural process should be a fire to let nature start over. Will said research shows fires once swept through the area with regularity.

Try telling that to the 1 million people who visit the park each year, or those who have houses nearby.

“Given the nature of the park, in terms of visitors, it would be catastrophic,” Will said.

So in 2005 and 2006, crews cleared dead oaks from along the park’s roads, removing each stem that was more than 50 percent dead from a total of 70 acres. But this year they are focusing on more remote areas and pulling out entire “clumps” that are at least 30 percent dead. More work is set for 2008.

The work is being funded by the Garden of the Gods Foundation and a grant from the Colorado State Forest Service.

Workers are only removing oaks, not juniper or pinon that make up the rest of the park, Will said. The total area is 42.5 acres, most in terrain off Garden Drive in the central and southwest areas of the park.

The work began last week and has already attracted a lot of attention. The crews have had to explain to many concerned visitors they are not clear-cutting the beloved park.

“We all live here. Heck, we bring our own families out in the park. We don’t want to tear it up,” said Greg Eno of HortiCare Inc., one of the contractors.

“Once they see the finished product won’t be a clear cut, they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s OK,’” Eno said.

Said contractor Andrew Notbohm, owner of Fire Ready, “Our long- term goal is to reduce the fire hazard and improve this landscape.”

(c) 2007 Gazette, The; Colorado Springs, Colo.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.