UPDATED: St. Paul homeowners hit by storm can ask city for help with tree removal

St. Paul residents no longer have to call the St. Paul Forestry Hotline to get tree debris downed by the recent storms hauled away. They do, however, need to have those fallen branches carted to the curb by Friday. Pick-up will occur within about two weeks after that.

Why the change in policy? According to the mayor’s office, the city forestry line is getting overwhelmed by calls from homeowners asking the exact same questions, many of which are answered by the following news release. Some 500 boulevard trees are no longer with us, and about 50 park trees and 28 golf course trees have also bitten the proverbial dust.

On the 2300 block of Girard Avenue South in Minneapolis, a young girl thumbs her nose at Mother Nature’s fury on Sunday, June 23, 2013.

Could it be that St. Paul is ahead of Minneapolis when it comes to removing trees that have fallen on houses? In St. Paul, looks like 25 of 26 boulevard trees that landed on homes have been carted away. A quick glance at the Uptown neighborhood in Minneapolis would suggest that across the river, the invasion of the falling arbor remains a problem.

Here’s the release from 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 25:

General update

Saint Paul homeowners in need of private tree debris pick-up from the storm, are no longer required to notify the forestry hotline. Saint Paul homeowners with private debris just need to have the debris near the curb (not in the gutter) by Friday, June 28 and forestry crews will be around in the next couple weeks to remove. NOTE – residents should still contact the Forestry Hotline (651.632-5129) to report public boulevard trees with downed or hazardous/hanging limbs, or to report public sidewalks/right of ways that are blocked by downed debris. Work is expected to take a couple weeks, so residents may have debris waiting to be picked up into early July – patience is appreciated as safety issues and potentially hazardous situations will be responded to prior to private tree debris pick-up.
Tree impact status update (does not include private tree numbers)

* As a result of the storms, almost 600 public trees fell: 500 boulevard/ROW trees, 50 park trees and 28 golf course trees
* More than 2,000 public trees were damaged and are still being assessed as part of a survey for high priority safety concerns
* 25 of the 26 boulevard/ROW trees that fell on homes have been removed. The remaining tree still on a home is requiring heavy equipment for removal, and is scheduled to be completed Wednesday afternoon
* All streets had been cleared as of Sunday afternoon, but some sidewalks still have some public and private tree debris that will be cleared

Survey

* Forestry continues to survey the city for high priority concerns, i.e., trees down, trees blocking streets or sidewalks, trees in danger of falling, large limbs and hangers down or in danger of falling, etc.

Removals

* Crews continue to work overtime.
* Priority of removals is based on safety factors, with hazardous situations being responded to first (especially any debris on streets/sidewalks/improved alleys).
* Crews are working primarily in three general areas, with Highland getting the most attention due to the most debris. Crews are also out in the Phalen area and in the North-End area.
* Crews are now concentrating on clearing trees and brush on streets curb-to-curb, sidewalks, and improved alleys.
* Crews continue to haul debris to staging areas for transport by contractors to Pigs Eye. These staging areas are off limits for public dumping for safety reasons.
* Removal of brush piles on boulevards will begin when the above are done, which is still undetermined, but will begin no later then next week.
* Boulevard (curb-side) brush removal will be done by sections that staff are in process of determining. City Foresty will begin in the worst/heaviest debris areas and work outward. This will most certainly include Highland (south and west of Randolph/Snelling) as the focal point.
* Streets will need to be posted “no parking” for curbside clean up, so residents will need to observe.
* External contractors and Public Works Department staff will be used to help expedite the clean-up efforts

Hanging limbs

* Hazardous, large limbs will be a priority with removals and will be removed asap.
* Small hanging branches, if not deemed hazardous, will be prioritized accordingly for a later removal.

Stumps

* Tip-up stumps will be removed by a contractor and eventually filled with dirt. This process will likely take several weeks.
* Flat stumps will remain until a later date when all other work is completed and work can be prioritized and completed.

Pruning of broken branches

* Unless hazardous, the pruning of broken-off branches will occur after all other storm clean-up is completed.

Debris management:

* The public may dump tree debris, as normal, at the Ramsey County Yard Waste Collection sites. See the following link for times and locations:

http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/ph/rt/yard_waste_collection_sites.htm

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On Saturday, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced that homeowners who need help removing tree debris from the recent overnight storms can ask the city forestry service for help. Over the next three weeks, the city will collect logs and brush that have been downed as a result of the storm. Sorry, no stumps allowed.

Residents should call the forestry service hotline at 651-632-5129. Debris must be placed on the curb by Friday, June 28. Tree debris needs to be separated from non-tree debris.

Collection may take up to three weeks, according to a written announcement from the city.

To report tree debris in streets and other areas that have yet to be responded to, call the St. Paul Dept. of Public Works at 651-266-9700.

Report downed power lines to Excel Energy at 1-800-895-4999.