After derecho, Marion salvaging logs from conservation area

Marion has begun a salvage harvest of timber in Faulkes Heritage Woods, an area that was highly impacted by the 2020 derecho. (Courtesy of Grant Harper and the city of Marion)

MARION — Some of the trees felled by the August 2020 derecho in the Faulkes Heritage Woods, an 110-acre conversation land owned by Marion, are being harvested and offered for sale.

The area, south of Highway 100, are protected by a permanent conservation easement and are monitored by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. The Aug. 10, 2020, derecho hit the area especially hard, with an estimate that 50 to even 80 percent of the tree canopy was damaged, City Arborist Mike Cimprich said.

Cimprich said conducting a timber salvage harvest is the “best option” for the city to clear the area and not absorb the full costs all by itself. The project does not qualify for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“With the revenue, we can turn around and invest it right back into the property,” he said. “The end goal is to replant and fully restore back to the woodland condition that was there before the storm.”

The salvage will harvest trees that meet the criteria, down to 12 inches in diameter, in designated harvest areas including: trees on the ground or leaning with roots exposed; trees with 50 percent or more crown loss; trees with significant damage causing heartwood exposure; and multi-stemmed trees that split or where one stem meets the other criteria.

“Unfortunately there are many trees on this property that meet the criteria for salvage harvest,” Cimprich said. “There will be a significant number of logs removed from portions of the woodland which will dramatically change the look of the property.”

Cimprich said though there isn’t a specific number of how many trees on the property will qualify. “There’s been a suggested potential rate of 1,000 logs per acre, so we could be talking 100,000 logs in a space like that,” he said.

The salvage operation is scheduled to stop March 31, but Cimprich said the work could extend into the 2022-23 winter season due to the challenges of the work and the need for winter to assist the work. Doing the work in the winter attempts to prevent disease spreading from tree to tree.

“The ideal time to minimize impact to the property is during the winter when the ground is frozen, so we have a limited timeline of working,” he said.

Cimprich said the city had hoped to start this project right away after the derecho, but it took awhile to get launched due to limited interest in the project from potential contractors. Bruggeman Incorporated of Monticello will be taking on the task. The city of Marion will get 60 percent of the revenue from the harvest, with the contractor getting 40 percent.

“It’s a challenging job,” he said. “It’s extremely limited to roadway access and the elevation changes don’t help with the moving of logs. There are very steep spots.”

Cimprich said Bruggeman has also confirmed its interest in working in the Legion Park area. The 50 acre-park between Hanna and Thomas Parks that features an 18-hole disc golf course was also severely impacted by the derecho, rendering half of the course out of play since 2020.

For the Faulkes Heritage Woods acreage, the city will be accepting lump sum, sealed bids for multiple lots of cut logs regularly over the next three months, according to the city’s website.

Comments: (319) 398-8255; gage.miskimen@thegazette.com