The thousands of trees felled by Hurricane Helene left their giant trunks and branches on the ground across trails and roads and buildings all through North Carolina and Tennessee.
In addition to all this firewood-to-be is each tree’s “root ball” – a collection of dirt and roots and rocks and even boulders that once held the tree in place. Torn out of the ground as the tree fell, the rootballs can stand taller than a person and leave a big hole behind.
Look at my hiking poles leaning against this one in Crowders Mountain State Park. The poles are open to about 3 1/2 feet yet the rootball towers well above that.
This one was off trail. But those that fall next to the trail take a good chunk of the path with them. Once the trunk is cut and moved away, the trail workers have to repair that damage.
Meanwhile all the fallen trees are getting cleared, one tree at a time.
On the Appalachian Trail it’s done by volunteers who are fully trained and certified to operate chain saws. And the administrative side of the AT – the Appalachian Trail Conservancy – is starting to bring in professional sawyers to help in the worst hit spots.
Volunteers also cut and move away the smaller branches and other tree debris, opening space for the sawyers to do their work.
State Parks such as Crowders have sawyers on staff. And they’ve gotten a lot of help.
They’re all making great progress. But there is still a great deal left to do.