Minnesota Department of Transportation officials say the project will make the roads safer, but opponents dispute this, and worry about the environmental impacts.
The tree removal is part of a $15.7 million road project set for this summer on Highway 34, but the work could have been done without touching the trees, said Jen Johnson of Detroit Lakes.
Willis Mattison with the Save the Trees Coalition is calling on Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and others to intervene with tree removal along a scenic byway.