Pam Boyd/pboyd@vaildaily.com
A pathologist arrived this week to assess the scene at Yeoman Park, but it wasn’t a pilot episode of “CSI: White River National Forest.”
In a television crime procedure drama, the pathologist’s arrival is the pivotal moment that sets the stage for the investigation promised by the show’s title. In Yeoman Park on Wednesday, the arrival of the U.S. Forest Service pathologist marked an important data collection and analysis effort to determine what caused several live trees to fall near campsites at the popular Eagle County locale.
Yeoman Park has been closed to camping since July 14 when the trees, which appeared healthy, fell near campsites. After they toppled, the Forest Service crews found the trees suffered extensive interior rot and they set out to determine both the cause and extent of the issue.
Special to the Daily
The Yeoman Park Campground, located in the White River National Forest south of Eagle, remains closed as crews continue surveying hazard trees in the area.
The White River National Forest first announced the closure last week after discovering several live trees that appeared healthy had recently fallen near campsites. Subsequent investigation revealed interior rotting near their bases.
David Boyd, public affairs officer for the White River National Forest, noted that Forest Service crews regularly perform tree assessments in developed sites such as Yeoman.
“Earlier this year, for instance, a crew removed approximately 20 standing dead trees from the campground before it opened to the public,” said Boyd in a June 14 written statement. “However, this newly discovered issue with live trees did not become apparent until the trees fell, revealing the interior rot.
Special to the Daily
The White River National Forest has closed the Yeoman Park Campground in Eagle County until hazard trees can be surveyed and removed.
Several live trees that appeared healthy have recently fallen near campsites in Yeoman Park due to interior rotting near their base.
“Without taking a core sample from a tree, it is hard to tell if it has this interior rot,” said Eagle-Holy Cross District Ranger Leanne Veldhuis. “We’ve now sampled a number of trees within the campground and found rot in several other trees. We’ll need to do a complete survey and remove trees found with this problem.”
Daily file photo
As people gear up for spring and summer recreation, the U.S. Forest Service is reminding them that the transition to summer vehicles mountain bikes and other wheeled vehicles does not happen until May 21 in most areas of the White River National Forest. And areas critical to elk calving are seasonally closed to all uses from as early as April 15 until as late as July 1, depending on the area, the agency said.
“As we start seeing these beautiful spring days, people naturally want to get out and recreate on the forest,” White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams said in a news release. “We want people to know before they go and understand what is allowed where they are recreating. We have these established dates and wildlife closures to protect roads and trails from damage during mud season and to protect wildlife.”