By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
More than two weeks removed from the July 16 strong storm that saw more than 80-mile-per-hour, straight-line winds, the City of Great Bend is still in the process of picking up the damage, mostly with fallen trees and branches.
Public
Lands Director Scott Keeler said city crews are picking everything off the
ground in the parks and public lands. Staff is also taking the dangerous hangers
out of the trees. Keeler anticipates spending time through the fall handling
corrective pruning and trimming.
"We do have, probably close to 70 trees that we need to move from the nursery into town," said Keeler. "The ones that are completely damaged and we can't do corrective pruning will be removed. We'll bring new trees in and start the process over again."
Great Bend maintains their own tree nursery located at the Great Bend Expo
Complex grounds that covers approximately seven acres. The nursery consists of
a wide variety of tree species and are ready to be transplanted throughout the
public lands when needed.
"Depending on the weather, if you have a wet winter, you can only pull the tree spade around so much...it's a pretty heavy piece of machinery," said Keeler. "You have to wait until the ground is semi-frozen to get on it. It's a process we do every year."
Keeler said the Public Lands Department plants between 50 and 100 trees every
year throughout Great Bend.
"We'll concentrate on the west side of town," said Keeler. "That's a part that especially got damaged with this last windstorm. Our efforts will probably be focused out there."