As we enter the second month since the December ice storm, the Grand River Conservation Authority has been hearing from people wondering why the cleanup is taking so long.
Some have volunteered to help move it along.
While the sentiment is admirable, it’s also misguided. It could actually result in making conditions more dangerous for people entering our properties.
The damage at the GRCA’s conservation areas, rail-trails and natural areas was massive. We have had dozens of our staff, supplemented by several commercial tree services, working almost daily since December to make our properties safe.
It’s critical that we get it right. It’s critical for the safety of our staff doing the work and critical for the safety of the public when we re-open the properties.
As we have said since the storm, the biggest challenge is not the stuff lying on the ground. It’s a fairly straightforward job to chip it and get rid of it.
By far, the bigger threat is above: the broken and damaged branches and trees that are just waiting to fall during the next big wind, or under the weight of the next ice or snow storm.
In the forestry industry these hazards are called “widow makers.” And for good reason. Do an internet search for “killed by falling branch” and check out the results: a baby in Central Park, a man cleaning up storm debris in Hawaii, a woman strolling through a park in London, a camper in Arizona. In 2004, a 10-year old boy on a school outing was killed by a falling tree at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington.
No volunteer with a hand saw is going to get at those hazards. You need bucket trucks and heavy equipment and, most of all, expert arborists who know how to work in dangerous, high places.
So the GRCA has made a deliberate decision to leave the stuff on the ground, to deter people from entering the properties, until we have had a chance to deal with the dangers overhead. To reinforce the message, we have posted “No trespassing” signs.
Our concern is that if people see a cleared path, they’re more likely to enter our parks, natural areas or rail-trails, without realizing the danger above.
We’ve already had cases of do-it-yourselfers trying to clear a rail-trail for snowmobiles. But they didn’t remove the debris from the trail, deal with overhead hazards or cut back branches far enough to provide enough clearance for riders. They left the trail more dangerous than it was before they “helped.”
We wish the cleanup was going faster, too. However, there’s a lot of work to be done, and it can be frustratingly difficult to clear snow-covered trails and park roads to allow the heavy equipment to manoeuvre into place. The job is complicated by high winds and bitter cold that slow down even the best equipped crews.
In reality, it would be better to leave some of the non-emergency work until spring, when it can be done more quickly, efficiently and safely.
We have had to set priorities. We have more than 750 rental homes and cottages on our properties so we have been working to secure them. We’re still dealing with branches dangling over homes and power lines. We want to make sure our nature centre properties are safe for school children.
And while we do all of that, we cannot ignore that our first duty – legal and moral – is to the health and safety of the people doing this hard and complicated work.
Some dismiss this worry, suggesting it’s a mark of a society more concerned about lawsuits than results.
We don’t want to allow a situation where a well-intentioned volunteer, or a hiker enjoying a winter stroll, is seriously injured – or worse – on one of our properties.
Dave Schultz is the communications manager for the Grand River Conservation Authority.
