As you walk along the Kewash Nature Trail in the City of Washington you may have noticed a change over the last couple months.

The Washington County Conservation Board (WCCB) has been clearing what’s referred to as “junk trees” along the trail in the city limits to replace with new trees. This project is funded by an Alliant Energy Branching Out grant that was received by the Washington Tree Committee.

WCCB Director Steve Anderson says Alliant Energy has been scheduled to cut 30 additional trees that are a hazard if they fall into power lines, “A lot of the trees that we’re going to be dealing with are underneath those power lines that are going along from the entrance to KC Hall a little bit west on down the trail, so we’ll be working right with the power company as to getting those trees down and out in a safe manner. And then we have Andy Dahl and a bunch of other prominent people that know a lot about trees are assisting us in actually putting trees back in that will both provide the screening that we want without getting all tangled up in that perpetually.”

The higher quality tree species to be planted will not impact power lines and help cool the air, lowering energy costs and reducing peak electric demand.