This guest commentary is submitted by a Minnesota Department of Transportation district engineer and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Park Rapids Enterprise.
The tree removal is part of a $15.7 million road project set for this summer on Highway 34, but the work could have been done without touching the trees, said Jen Johnson of Detroit Lakes.
Willis Mattison with the Save the Trees Coalition is calling on Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and others to intervene with tree removal along a scenic byway.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation hired a contractor to remove trees along Highway 34 as part of a road resurfacing project. The logging began Monday, Jan. 23.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency tells residents to follow a “less is better” strategy for salting surfaces. Salt is commonly overapplied and sends chloride into lakes, rivers and streams.
Bid letting for removal of trees in the clear zone in a 21-mile stretch of the Lake Country Scenic Byway has a Dec. 2 deadline, according to project manager Joeb Oyster.
A proposed Minnesota Department of Transportation construction project on busy Minnesota State Highway 34 east of Detroit Lakes has some property owners there asking the department to scale back the plan. The reason? As part of construction, trees too close to the road are scheduled to be removed. MNDOT says the move could help clear ice from roads that are often in the shade.
