Missoula Still Has Thousands of Trees That Need Treating

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Morgan Valiant is the Associate Director for Ecosystem Services at Missoula Parks and Recreation.

He appeared on Friday’s City Talk segment of Talk Back to provide details on the next steps in the recovery process from the July 24 wind event that caused millions in damage to western Montana.

Valiant Said There are 5,811 Public Trees in Missoula That Must be Treated

“We are sitting, as of this morning with 5,811 public trees that are out there that need to be treated within the city limits,” began Valiant. “Some of those trees are just needing someone to show up with a bucket truck, fly up there, and remove a broken hanging limb, that could fall at some point, all the way to a full removal of that tree.”

Valiant described the process in the simplest terms.

“At this phase, and using the FEMA resources that we have for reimbursing this work, it's really about risk and hazard mitigation, and that means removing the hazard,” he said. That means you would take that tree from a standing dead spar or a tree that's half broken off, and just turn it into a stump.”

Valiant Described the Process of Stump Removal

Valiant was quick to point out that Missoula would not be left with hundreds of unsightly stumps throughout the city and county.

“We don't want to leave that stump in the right of way for any longer than we need to, and so we'd come in and grind it out with a stump grinder and backfill it with soil, and then, it would be like it was never there,” he said. “Then our hope is to, and normal standard practice is, to come back and replant trees where it's appropriate to replant.”

Valiant asked City Talk listeners and KGVO website readers to watch for a new website that will help them keep track of the remediation process.

There Will Be a New Website to Help Missoulians Track Their Progress

“If they're interested in learning more or finding out what trees are on their block that are going to be affected, we are going to be releasing an interactive web map that is also going to allow people to track the work,” he said. “So as those points are resolved, you're going to see daily changes to the map as crews are moving through areas. We're going to rip the band-aid off here, and we're going to try to get all these hazards taken care of within 90 days so that we can get back to normal, and that is going to be another big ask of the community to just pull together and help us through this."