Trim time for Tubbs Hill

COEUR d'ALENE - Those cherry trees aren't supposed to be on Tubbs Hill.

But they could have grown from the spit-out cherry pit of a snacking passerby.

The maple trees are foreigners, too.

Nevertheless, both types are on the Coeur d'Alene downtown hiking spot, and the city's Parks Department wants them out of there before they damage the hill's health by supplanting native trees any more.

"It will be very difficult to get rid of all them," said Karen Haskew, city liaison to the urban forest committee. "But we hope to control the majority of them, enough so we can reintroduce native trees in the area."

The city's Urban Forestry Committee is recommending the city remove a couple hundred maple and cherry trees from Tubbs Hill this summer around a 30-acre parcel on the eastern side of the hill, by the foot bridge and swinging bridge on the 11th Street entrance side.

Since the city is planning to remove possible fire hazards such as clumps of smaller trees and shrubs that have grown too close together with an herbicide this summer, pulling out non-natives would be a good project to go with it, Haskew said.

"One of the reasons we are doing it this year is we've been unsuccessful in the past" with controlled burns, Haskew said of the fires that were called off in recent years due to uncooperative weather.

A grant will pay for that fire hazard removal. For $5,000 to $12,000 more, the city could remove non-natives too.

The goal is to keep the 120-acre forested hill natural and healthy, as directed in the Tubbs Hill Management Plan, Haskew said.

It would include removing a couple hundred trees. The areas would be sprayed to ensure they won't re-grow. After that, the city could plant some native species next spring.

If the project moves forward this summer, portions of the trail might be re-routed as crews work. The trail would never be completely blocked off, however.

"I know summer isn't the ideal time for the project since that's when Tubbs Hill gets the most use," she said. "But there will be ways that people can get around. It's not that we would shut down the whole hill."

Maple tree are especially dangerous to Tubbs, as they create huge pockets of shade where seeds can germinate and grow and can cut off the growth of others. The most affected area in the 30-acre stretch is a five-acre piece near the swinging bridge, Haskew said.

The exact species mixture or numbers of native species to be introduced would be determined by examining the site after treatment of the non-natives.

The project, likely paid out of the Tubbs Hill account funded from city dock usage fees, is still in the information stage. It will be presented to the City Council at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, during its meeting at the public library.

Information: 769-2266