The Daily News

Street crews in the city of Wahpeton hope to convene a Forestry Adhoc Committee to consider proper protocol in notifying property owners of a city ordinance regarding tree trimming.

City Engineer Randy Nelson told the Public Works and Safety Committee Tuesday that trees must be 15 feet above street level and 8 feet above sidewalk level. Per adopted city ordinance, property owners are responsible for keeping their trees at an appropriate level.

“We have a lot of trees, though, that are well below that 15-foot limit,” Nelson said. “Currently we have many hundred locations that have trees needing trimming.”

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The trees become problematic for street crews as they tend to catch on street sweepers or snowplows. And while crews trim overhanging trees approximately once a year, the maintenance takes a “fair amount of time,” according to Nelson.

“What we have in ordinance and what we have in practice are two different things,” Nelson said. “If we’re out trimming trees we’re not dealing with the pot holes, we’re not doing the catch basin maintenance, etcetera.”

For street crews to continue tree trimming, Nelson indicated the funding process or the staffing process would need to be re-evaluated due to the additional hours it would take to remedy the current situation.

He suggested producing a mass mailing notifying property owners to follow ordinance or the city will trim the trees themselves.

“We definitely have to have some type of clean up done on them,” said Meryl Hansey, chairman. “It looks to me like this letter would probably be a proper way starting that.”

The board set no meeting date for the Forestry Adhoc Committee.

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