The following is an email letter received from the City of Mosier:
| Dear Neighbor: We are writing this letter in hope to help protect the health of our forest. You may have noticed recently that several pine trees have died in and around Mosier, likely the result of infestation from one or more species of beetle larvae. Your property has dead trees which are both a fire hazard and a potential disease threat to Ponderosa pines throughout the Mosier area. There is a limited set of requirements under the State fire code and the City of Mosier Code, and a broader recommendation for proactive thinning of healthy green pine trees to allow stronger trees a better chance of surviving the beetles. The objective of this letter is to help eliminate a future fire hazard and to do what we can to slow the beetle’s progress before we see potentially catastrophic damage over a wider area. Consensus seems to be that the beetle larvae overwinter in the trees we are seeing as recently killed. They can be seen emerging as adult beetles around April in these parts. The adult population can be reduced by removing and/or burning this year’s “crop” before April, which we realize is a short time frame. The City would like to see a pro-active response from the property owners who can help manage this problem. Under Section 8.35.070 A. of the City Code, the City has the authority to require property owners to remove dead trees, ladder fuels, and certain other hazardous materials. This needs to be accomplished as soon as possible. Experience has also shown that one of the factors affecting mortality in the current infestation is the stress caused by too many young pine trees crowded throughout the affected zone. For this reason, it is recommended that affected property owners aggressively thin and limb healthy green pine trees in, and especially downwind, from the affected area. Thank you for your time and attention to this problem. Call or email us and we will add you to the list to provide further information regarding recommendations and landowner workshops. City of Mosier, Interim City Manager [email protected] |