Cleanup of dead ponderosa pines expected to be done by end of day

By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news

The city of Ashland will burn slash piles on the Lithia Park hillside today, Tuesday, March 12, the city announced on its website. 

Smoke should be minimal and all slash piles burned completely by the end of the day, said Wildfire Division Chief Chris Chambers. 

“It’s just cleanup,” he said. 

Ashland Parks & Recreation crews recently made slash piles after cutting some dead ponderosa pine trees in the area. Bark beetles have been a problem for around five years, sometimes killing hundreds of ponderosa pines, Chambers said. As the drought lessens, the beatles are less lethal. This year only 15 to 20 trees were lost that way, he said. 

The dead trees were all cut leaving a stump to ameliorate soil erosion and provide habitat for some species. The slash piles are made from the remaining tree and its limbs. 

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at morganr@ashland.news.