DuPage forest district storm cleanup continues

If a tree falls in a DuPage County forest, does it get cleaned up?

Well, that depends on whether a major storm ripped through the county, as it did last week.

“If a tree falls normally within a forest, it is left alone because that's part of the natural habitat and certain wildlife even make their homes there,” said Justin Frederick, director of the DuPage Forest Preserve District office of land management.

But the June 21 storm — which included three funnel cloud sightings — left cracked trees and snapped power lines in its path throughout the suburbs. And along the 145 miles of trails in 60 DuPage forests that are used for running, horseback riding and more, that can mean danger if not handled by experts, officials say.

That's why forest rangers were out in the early morning hours last week surveying the damage and organizing cleanup efforts. On Wednesday they focused their cleanup on hard-hit Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook.

“After any storm we have inspections and protocols we have to follow, and the rangers are our first line of defense in terms of assessing any damages or threats to the public,” Frederick said.

And now for more than a week, maintenance crews have been firing up their chain saws to clear trees from paths and remove hanging limbs that threaten to fall on visitors or cars.

All told, workers have dedicated 432 hours toward storm cleanup so far, said Frederick. That includes trail inspections, tree and limb removal, checking facilities for damage and other details.

“It's pretty much you name it and we're doing it,” he said.

The cost is built into the forest preserve district's budget, he added, since district officials know a certain number of storms are par for the course each year.

Crews also know to prepare for storm cleanup and, in a way, almost look forward to the challenge, Frederick said.

“It's a little exciting and that's why people want to work here, because every day is different in the forest preserve,” he said. “(A storm) is like the difference between practice and a competition. We've got a well-educated and highly trained staff and they like to to be able to get out and provide forest access to the public.”