Stump removal in progress on Wattendorf highway

  • Published
  • By Janae' Daniels
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  After an 11-month tree harvesting project that ended in late October, passers by on Wattendorf Memorial Highway have probably noticed the tree stump clean-up effort.

The $403,000 contract, awarded to a Florida-based tree service company, calls for workers to grind up the stumps and debris to produce an environmentally friendly product - something similar to a mixture of sawdust and wood chips. The ground wood will decompose and provide stabilization and prevent erosion.

The decision to trim the edge of the forests was driven by several concerns - emergency response, safety and mission topping the list.

Officials were not only concerned about the possibility of a tree or large branch falling onto the highway or striking a motorist, they were also worried about emergency responders being able to get their vehicles to areas like Arnold Village military family housing, the Wingo Inn and UTSI. Another area of concern was deer strikes.

"With all the deer strikes we have, now people have some advance warning so they can see the deer," Lt. Col. Paul Schantz, 704th Civil Engineer Squadron commander said. "Before, you had the woods right up to the road. Now, as people drive through our installation, it [tree cutting] enables them to see the deer and hopefully reduce deer strikes."

The Conservation and Safety organizations from Aerospace Testing Alliance and the government will closely monitor the entire clean-up process.

During the original tree harvesting project that included the clearing along the highway, contractors cut nearly 35,000 tons of pulp wood and more than 1.6 million board feet of saw timber that will be used to make paper products or for construction, according to Rick McWhite, Arnold Engineering Development Center Natural Resource Manager. Manufacturers use pulp wood to make paper products and construction workers use lumber made from saw timber for building.