Hazard tree removal begins at Cultus Lake

The Cultus Lake boat launch was closing at 10 p;m. Wednesday, until further notice. It’s being shut down while 500 dead and dying trees are removed from the area.

The Cultus Lake Campground has been closed since June because of hazardous trees.

Every five years, the U.S. Forest Service has a plant pathologist check certain areas for diseased or rotten trees that could fall over or drop heavy branches.

This year, about 500 trees were identified in the area as posing risk to the public, said Bend-Fort Rock District Ranger Kevin Larkin said Wednesday.

“People have been understanding, we have a hazard we have to mitigate in this campground, and that comes with some consequences,” Larkin said.

While it’s not unusual for the Forest Service to engage in tree removal, the size and timing of this project is a bit outside the norm, Larkin said.

“It’s a much larger number than we’re typically experiencing, and because of that, the scope and scale of the issue, we had to shut the campground down in order for us to get in there efficiently and remove those trees.”

One of the diseases many of the trees have is called Indian paint fungus. The disease rots the inside of the tree, making it weak and at risk of falling down.

The best way to stop the spread of this disease is to get rid of the infected trees, officials said.

While not everyone is happy with the closure, Larkin says everyone is cooperating.

“We couldn’t in good conscience leave the campground open and put the visiting public at risk for being hit by falling trees,” Larkin said.

The road to the campground has already been blocked off and Kornish Forest Contracting started work Wednesday morning.

The cut-up trees will be taken to a gravel pit near Brown’s Creek until authorities decide how to dispose of the wood.