Rotted tree removal at Moran State Park

Laminated root rot and Douglas fir trees are both native to the Pacific Northwest. An increasing infection of the rot in these towering green giants in areas where human traffic is high has caused alarm for the park service. The solution is tree removal.

Weve got over 5,000 acres of forest. This [tree removal] is a small percentage of the park around high-use areas so that we are able to keep it open for visitors in a safe manner, said Park Manager Jim Schuh. Stuff like that has to happen, otherwise wed have to shut down completely excluding people.

The tree removal begins in the park on Thursday and cutting and associated hauling and cleanup will potentially continue until the end of March, when tourists will start flocking to the island.

The plan, spearheaded by Robert Fimbel, with the Washington State Parks Stewardship Program, calls for patch cutting and thinning in three areas of the park, which include the surrounding areas of the Environmental Learning Center, the primitive campground and the upper part of the north end campground. The areas are high priority because of the year-round and seasonal living quarters by the ELC and overnight guests at the campgrounds.

The fungus

Last February, the park held a meeting to discuss laminated root rot, which is a fungus spreading by root-to-root contact between trees. It does not spread through soil or air on its own. It can remain viable in stumps for up to 50 years, infecting any new trees susceptible to the disease.

The root rot is so effective and aggressive where you have stands of pure Douglas fir, whose roots are growing together, overlapping, then graphing together, Fimbel said.

This interconnected root system makes survival difficult. Imagine typhoid fever sweeping through the over-populated slum cities of India.

Douglas firs can fall without warning when their roots are rotted, and measuring 40 inches and weighing more than several tons, these giants can cause damage when they hit the ground, especially when campers are in the area.

In other Washington State Parks, Fimbel has seen trees that looked green and healthy during the summer that with no warning literally fell over.

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Rotted tree removal at Moran State Park