The volume of downed trees cleared from main streets, back roads and state highways since the June 1 tornado is as staggering as the logistics of what to do with the debris.
Cities and towns are attacking the problem with front-end loaders and 10-wheel dump trucks; homeowners with chain saws and
carts pulled by lawn tractors.
And much like the December 2008 ice storm, debris of a variety of sizes, shapes and volume is being stacked on front lawns — awaiting definitive information on who will cart it away, and at what cost.
Ice storm damage, spread across a much wider geographical area, does not carry the visual impact of nature’s equivalent of a forest clear cut.
Two weeks since the storm carved a 39-mile path of destruction from Westfield to Charlton, attention is turning to the mountains of debris.
Edmund J. Coletta Jr. acting director of public affairs for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said DEP had already fielded inquiries about whether the state Open Burning Law dates of Jan. 15 through May 1 would be waived to allow the voluminous amount of branches, limbs, tree trunks and stumps to be burned.
“The dates for Open Burning were originally established so as not to compromise air quality. Heat and humidity would tend to trap the particulates and dramatically compromise air quality. As of today, I don’t foresee any lifting of the Open Burning Law or any waivers that would allow open burning,” Mr. Coletta said.
Fred L. Heyes, forester and owner of Heyes Forest Products, Orange, said when it comes to getting the greatest value for tornado-damaged timber, time is critical, but more so for softwood than hardwood species.
“If the white pine isn’t already stained, then it’s close to being so, certainly by the end of the month. Once it is stained, white pine is of limited value.
The larger hardwoods that came down and are on the ground right now will be good for a while longer because, for the most part, they’ve been uprooted and not snapped off, Mr. Heyes explained.
Mr. Coletta said the only realistic solution for burning the tornado-produced biomass is to have it chipped up and burned in cogeneration plants.
For larger trees that are wholly or partially intact, he said the agency is recommending the trees be recycled and cut into boards for pallets.
In the case of either prime white pine or hardwoods that have been blown over, and not otherwise damaged, Mr. Coletta said the logs should be cut and brought to a sawmill as soon as possible.
Mr. Coletta said that wood that was damaged in some way and not suitable for saw logs, could easily be cut with chain saws, cut and split for firewood or wood stove length and then sold.
For smaller limbs, branches and twigs, he reported chipping provides the most efficient avenue for roadside cleanup.
“Any wood that doesn’t even measure up as firewood that could be cut and split, should be set aside to be chipped and used for either vegetation
mulch, erosion control on slopes or as fuel for a wood-fired electrical generation plant,” Mr. Coletta said.
As for the stumps from pushed over trees that have brought up considerable amount of dirt around the roots. Mr. Coletta said the same prohibition is in place for the burning of stumps.
“We really would like to see a combination of recycling and reuse to the greatest degree possible,” he said, adding that some of the logistics and responsibility for cleanup costs had yet to be pinned down.
Dealing with vegetation the tornado mingled with debris presents something of a different matter altogether, Mr. Coletta said.
“Demolition debris in those hardest-hit neighborhoods, where homes were heavily damaged or demolished, asbestos or asbestos byproducts could be found in specific areas,” the DEP spokesman said.
While the agency was waiving the 10-day rule for obtaining an asbestos removal sticker, Mr. Coletta said wetting down demolition debris and identifying areas where asbestos would likely be found would be common sense.
Segregated demolition debris should be hauled away by licensed Construction and Demolition waste-hauling contractors to licensed facilities, he said.
William Hull of Hull Forest Products, Pomfret, Conn., and a member of the Massachusetts Wood Producers Association, said the jury is out over whether salvaging tree damage from the tornado will be a break-even or losing financial proposition.
“It might not severely depress the price of a cord of firewood this fall,” Mr. Hull remarked, but said demand in some areas could be considerably less as those with oaks and maples down on their property cut and split them for their own use.
Mr. Hull said he has deployed a mechanized crew to a 70-acre hardwood lot that Hull owns in Brimfield.
“Everything has been flattened, but because the tornado broke off many trees leaving the tops hanging, for safety reasons, you can’t send a crew in there unprotected,” he explained.
“Many of the trees were blown over, and would have salvage value as saw logs brought to a mill. The question, for which we won’t have an answer for awhile, is whether or not it’s financially realistic to attempt to salvage that lot given the blowdown,” he said.
Mr. Hull said ideally much of the tornado-damaged vegetation could be chipped up as fuel for wood-burning power plants.
“Right now, however, Pine Tree Power in Westminster has all the chips it can possibly use, and they’re the only one in the region,” he said, noting this could frame the discussion of biomass regulations and the role of renewable energy in the weeks to come,” Mr. Hull said.
Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency at the Framingham bunker, said MEMA’s role nearly two weeks after the tornado had evolved into providing guidance for the two lead state agencies in the recovery and cleanup — the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Timothy J. Dugan, spokesman for the New England District, Corps of Engineers, said yesterday that while damage to flood control projects in the path of the tornado had been minimal, certain facilities like the East Brimfield
Lake boat launch road had been closed to allow the town of Sturbridge to stockpile both vegetation and demolition removed from roadways as a matter of public safety.
“As to what will ultimately happen to this material, no decision has yet been made,” Mr. Dugan said.
