They may not be as formidable as Groot from “Guardians of the Galaxy” or the Ents from “The Lord of the Rings,” but trees in the Sligo Creek area have been deemed hazardous and will be removed.
Montgomery Parks crews are taking the trees down, requiring a few road closures this week and next week.
Sligo Creek Parkway between Piney Branch Road and Kennebec Avenue was shut down from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday. The stretch from Maple Avenue to Carroll Avenue will be closed during the same timeframe Wednesday.
Sligo Creek Parkway from East Wayne Avenue to Piney Branch Road will be blocked off on Monday.
A tree becomes hazardous when it’s “found to be likely to fail and cause an unacceptable degree of injury, damage or disruption,” Montgomery Parks Senior Urban Forester Colter Burkes wrote in an email.
“Our Urban Foresters perform tree risk assessments on the trees to make this determination where they look at tree condition, how likely the tree is to fail and when it fails what damage will it cause.
“The trees along Sligo Creek Parkway that we are currently removing are trees that are dead or have serious structural defects that may cause them to fall across the parkway or trail,” Burkes wrote.
Sligo Creek Trail users should watch out for flaggers directing people in the Stream Valley area. The trial stretches 10.2 miles through both Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, with endpoints in Hyattsville and Wheaton.
Traffic on Sligo Creek Parkway is expected to be significantly slowed. Drivers are encouraged to seek alternate routes.
The Montgomery Parks staff routinely inspects the trees along Sligo Creek Parkway and Trail, identifying plants needing to be pruned or removed entirely, Burkes wrote. The department also responds to residents’ requests to review certain trees.
These annual inspections result in tree work along the parkway and trails every year, with more expected later this summer, Burkes wrote. Trees that fall during storms also create additional work. The number of trees removed varies from year to year.
Charlie Wright can be reached at charlie.wright@moco360.media
