Trail is clear

Portland’s nature trail is now safe.

And it’s now open.

But you might want to wait awhile before taking a hike, because it’s currently very, very muddy.

Myron Terrain Management, New Albany, completed its clean-up and restoration work on the Kelly Baggs Nature Trail in Weiler-Wilson Park along the south bank of the Salamonie River on Thursday.

That work — which came in with a price tag of more than $28,000 — included the removal of hundreds of dead ash trees following devastating infestation by the emerald ash borer.

Not every dead ash tree has been felled. The emphasis has been on those adjacent to the trail that posed a threat to the public.

The city closed the trail to the public in the fall of 2018 after high winds in the wake of the emerald ash borer brought down dozens of trees and stranded others tangled in the branches of other trees, ready to come down at a moment’s notice.

Those “widow makers” led to the decision to close the trail and action by Mayor Randy Geesaman to contract with Myron to make the trail safe again.

The result, Jay County native Ben Myron acknowledged Thursday, is “a little rough” in spots.

It’s going to take some time for nature to smooth out the rough edges following the clean-up effort.

In some places, the extent of the ash borer damage has completely re-shaped the trail. For instance, the removal of a few large stands of dead ash trees has created new clearings in the woods.

Myron sees those as a potential opportunity for scout projects, park activities or new tree planting.

The hundreds of felled trees created a disposal challenge. There are serious restrictions on the transport of ash timber because of the spread of the ash borer. Landfills don’t want the wood, and the mulch market has more volume than it needs.

So the dead ash was burned.

Nine large piles of dead ash timber — some of them as tall as 15 feet high — were burned this fall, taking advantage of the season and wet weather.

Only the ash remains.

And the mud.