MHT, Slenkamp check wood taken from danger cut

The City and Borough of Wrangell faced a check up from Alaska Mental Health Trust senior resource manager Paul Slenkamp after a report of excessive tree removal near the end of the road at 12.5 Mile Zimovia Highway last month.

In what was defined as a timber cut to remove dangerous trees near the power line extension between Pats Lake Road and McCormack Creek, the city electrical department was issued an authorization to trim the area to remove dying or decaying trees that were threatening the power lines.

That license, which was issued by the MHT to electrical superintendent Clay Hammer, called for trimming approximately half an acre of dead trees and fallen debris in the area of Pat’s Creek.

“There are a number of trees adjacent to the power line that have been a hazard for a long time, ever since the line was installed there,” Hammer said. “We had a number of storms come through the area that knocked the power out for days in the area. Over the years, there has been some progress made on taking out some of the trees and there was a small stand of timber adjacent to the watering hole that my department helped facilitate having taken out as well. This area along the Pats Creek corridor was the next most hazardous area in that stretch.”

According to Hammer, previous attempts to get contractors from outside the Wrangell area failed because of what he called “financial viability” in taking the trees out. At that point, Hammer said he inquired locally and contacted Mike Allen, Jr. to remove the biomaterial.

“A different contractor was considered but it was not financially feasible for them,” Hammer said. “At that point a license was issued to us by the Mental Health Trust and we offered it to Mike.”

Hammer said he made the offer to Allen verbally, with no contract or written agreement, for the removal of the trees – with an understanding that Allen would keep the wood taken off the property.

“We were granted a provisional license by the Mental Health Trust for the trees that were adjacent to the line that were a hazard,” Hammer added. “It was an agreement that, in exchange for removing the trees, he was to keep the wood. The concern was that some of the trees removed during this cut were outside of the parameters set for it.”

Slenkamp visited the Borough on Friday, June 1 and toured the area at the clearing operation. He said his Anchorage office fielded calls from a number of Wrangell residents last week regarding the cut.

“I was on Prince of Wales Island on Tuesday and Wednesday and I got messages about some calls into our Anchorage office,” Slenkamp said. “They contacted me and I came here.”

Adding that public safety was the main force behind issuing the permit, Slenkamp said the timber cut was not a sale – and that he encouraged the use of the wood locally for a variety of purposes.

“We decided it would be in the public interest and as a safety issue to issue the license, and that the expert in what hazard trees would be is Wrangell Power and Light,” Slenkamp said. “They determined what was an issue to the lines. This was a non-revenue permit, we didn’t charge for it and we encouraged them to salvage the wood for either firewood or for the local mill. That way we would not have an issue like we did back down the road where we had a whole bunch of timber lying off to the side. We anticipated an action very similar to what happened at 8-Mile, just without all the timber left over. This was not a sale and, in my opinion, and in my opinion it was better for light and power to determine what was hazardous or not.”

Slenkamp added that the responsibility for cleanup now rests with the city.

“The mitigation of this cut is going to fall to Clay Hammer and the electrical department and maybe we can put this behind us,” Slenkamp said.

Hammer said the cut was legitimate and that the remedy for cleaning up the area would be just that – cleanup.

“It looks to me like we have a little bit of cleanup because there is still a little bit of timber down beside the road,” Hammer said. “Basically, we just have to clean up the area. It was a good cut, though.”

The contract between MHT and Hammer stated “clearing will take place adjacent to approximately six spans of electrical line near Pat’s Creek Bridge. Clearing will be limited to trees which may interfere with the existing power line or are considered hazardous.”

Allen added there is no reason for anyone – the citizens of Wrangell or the Trust – to think he took too much wood from the cut zone.

“I would not think there is any reason to believe that,” Allen said. “We had to take a little more wood than expected out the back of that area for access for the log loader, so it could get in there. We needed that area to get some of the trees out of there.”

Allen also said that he lost money on the operation.

“I did this at no cost to the city, and actually I lost money on it,” he said. “I was doing it more as a favor because every time the power gets knocked out it’s about a $35,000 deal to fix the power between the poles, the lines and the crossbars. So, I did it as a favor and ended up losing money, so it was not something I made money on. It saved the city money so they don’t have to raise power rates.”