Two major tree removal projects happening along Pikes Peak Highway

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The highway on America's Mountain is normally closed on only three days a year; Thanksgiving, Christmas and for the Pikes Peak Marathon.

This year, however, officials added two more days -- Tuesday and Wednesday of this week -- to start a project that will remove trees that are growing too close to the road.

The closure allowed crews to minimize disruptions to two businesses and several residents connecting to the bottom of the highway.

Crews are using two specialized machines to cut down and strip trees; they will be turned into mulch to reduce roadside erosion and laid down along the road to protect drainage infrastructure.

Skyler Rorabaugh, the highway manager, said that the forest canopy along the highway is too thick -- which makes visibility challenging for drivers around curves, blocks some of the scenic views and produces debris that cab clog drains.

"The main reason we're doing this is to provide a fire break," he explained. "The highway would be a designated location for first responders to fight a fire. This kind of work hasn't been done in 20 years."

Pikes Peak had a close call with a wildfire in 2012, during the Waldo Canyon Fire; authorities worked hard and constantly to keep that fire from spreading across U.S. 24 and threatening the Peak.

Rorabaugh added that thinning the canopy will create a healthier forest and allow more sunlight on the highway -- which will promote melting of ice and snow and improve traffic flow in winter.

"Once we get above the lower two miles, we'll be doing the work at night because the machines put out a lot of light," he said.

A second, larger project is happening around and above Crystal Reservoir, from five to nine miles up the highway; workers are removing thousands of trees blown down by a tornado last summer.

"We can't leave them there because it presents a fire risk," said Ryan Harlow, a supervisor with the U.S. Forest Service. "They'd also attract insects and disease that would affect healthy trees. We'll also do some thinning of the forest that we actually had already planned before the tornado."

Some of the timber will be used for firewood but most will be sold to sawmills across the state.

"We won't make much money off if it because there's not a strong market for it," Harlow said. "It'll be chipped into landscaping material."

Preparations for the tree project began just weeks after the tornado touched down; actual removal started a month ago.

Crews will eventually have to restore forest areas used as temporary roads to provide access to the fallen trees.

Officials said that, weather permitting, they hope to finish both projects before the summer tourist season.