Tree removal surfaces as primary issue at Black Forest recovery meeting

Greg Dalton with Southern Baptis Disaster Relief works Tuesday, June 25, 2013, to remove a tree on the property of a homeowner that lost their home on Trappers Pass Trail in the Black Forest fire burn area. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette

Almost two months after the Black Forest fire, residents are eager to take recovery efforts into their own hands, and are reluctant to let the El Paso County Board of Commissioners be the sole directors of the community's recovery

At a Wednesday night meeting, the county's subcommittee for debris removal and cleanup struggled to define its role in the fire recovery because 85 percent of the burn area is private property. But some property owners came seeking its support in tree cleanup - a subject that dominated the meeting.

Robb Willes, a Black Forest resident, came to the meeting to pitch a plan to clean up the thousands of dead, black trees covering the forest. But, after an hourlong back-and-forth discussion with the 11-member committee, Willes was told that his proposition, which was created by a few residents, was not something on which the county can take a stance.

"The committee will not take on a specific contractor to do this," Commissioner Darryl Glenn said of Willes' plan to hire a company for tree removal.

The plan would require the owners of at least five contiguous parcels with scorched trees to ask for tree removal. Willes hoped the county would help find property owners to participate. Willes also considered working with Black Forest Together, a fledgling nonprofit started by residents to manage a grassroots recovery.

But Glenn remained adamant that, when it comes to tree removal and reforestation, the county will not support specific efforts outright.

"The committee will not endorse the Black Forest Together effort," said Glenn.

Willes declared that "the enemy of the community is the standing dead trees," which will only become greater hazards as time progresses.

"Insurance companies are going to see those standing dead trees as a liability. And that is going to affect everyone's insurance policy," Willes said.

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Tree removal surfaces as primary issue at Black Forest recovery meeting