County may harvest timber from Klaus Park

Timber may be harvested at Klaus Park under a plan being considered by the Cape Girardeau County Commission.

The Missouri Department of Conservation recently marked about 60 trees for possible harvesting. Orange marks have been placed on trees, many of them along the asphalt road through the 36-acre site west of Interstate 55.

More trees could be marked within the next couple of weeks, said Jennifer Behnken, a community forester with the Conservation Department in Cape Girardeau.

Cape Girardeau County park superintendent Bryan Sander said, "We are assessing the timber situation."

County officials have not made a final decision.

"We are not cutting anything yet," Sander said.

The park is used by trail runners, hikers and mountain-bike riders, who have expressed concern about the possible removal of the trees.

John Dodd, owner of Cyclewerx in Cape Girardeau, regularly rides his bicycle through the forested park.

"This is the only park like that around here," he said.

Dodd said regular users of the park help maintain the trail, and their activity has improved the safety of the park.

"Ten years ago, it was a place for drugs and sex," he said.

Trail users have pushed that activity out of the park, he said.

Dodd said he and other users of the park were not aware of the possible timber harvest until they saw the marks on the trees. He said there was a "lack of communication" from county officials.

"We are trying to figure out what is going on," he said.

Dodd said he and other users are scheduled to meet with Sander at noon Wednesday at Klaus Park to discuss the possible timber harvest.

Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy said the primary purpose of a timber harvest would be to manage the county's resources.

The county does not have a park tax, he said. Harvesting trees could provide revenue to help improve the county park system, he said.

Some of that revenue could go to help fund construction of the granite-walled veterans memorial at Cape County Park North, Tracy said. The exact cost has not been calculated, but it could carry a $100,000 price tag, he said.

Most of the trees marked for possible harvest have reached maturity, Tracy said.

The presiding commissioner said there is no timetable for deciding whether to harvest the trees. Tracy said commissioners are waiting for a final report from the Conservation Department.

Even if some trees are harvested, it won't change the wooded landscape and its use as a recreational site, he said. Klaus Park is the only area park with a mountain-bike trail, he said.

Tracy said, "We want it to be a win-win for everyone. We are not trying to ruin the park."

Behnken, the community forester, said cutting down some trees is part of good management of a forest.

She said the Conservation Department recommends taking down trees that are "sick or dying or a hazard."

It also can be advisable to cut down trees that are at their maturity, Behnken said.

She added, "Sometimes forests are too thick." Cutting down less-desirable species of trees makes room for oaks, which need more sunlight, Behnken said. An oak is a great "wildlife tree," providing acorns for animals, she said.

"You are also opening up the canopy to make more room for other trees," she said, adding good forest management looks at tree growth over a period of decades.

At Klaus Park, there are enough harvestable trees to interest a logger, Behnken said.

Typically, a logger will take just the tree trunk and leave the branches behind, Behnken said. While it may not look pretty, branches left on the ground provide wildlife habitat, she said.

Still, Behnken said she understands public concerns about removing trees.

"There is such an emotional attachment," she said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

Klaus Park, Cape Girardeau County, Mo.