The Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office (DRFMO) is continuing the tree removal process in Downtown, Midland, and Newcastle in early March.
Pathways and trails will be closed and signs placed at entrances to inform the community of work in the area.
“While the Town of Drumheller makes every effort to avoid impacting trees, sometimes the nature of capital projects requires some trees are removed to make space for flood mitigation project work,” states a press release from the DRFMO.
“When trees are impacted in project areas, a landscape plan is developed to restore the ecological health of the area. The health of the trees has been assessed, and any trees in good or fair health will be replaced at a ratio of five to one--five replacements for every one removal,” the release continues.
Replacements may be trees, shrubs, or a combination thereof.
Some trees will be repurposed through a project taken on by a group of residents to place benches, carvings, and other installations throughout the community; artists will be sought to create these installations to honour and appreciate the life of the trees. Outside of this project, other tree material will be mulched and reused in park areas.
Biologists have been engaged to sweep the area for owl nests, animal dens, and other sensitive wildlife prior to removal. The protection of the environment is of utmost importance to DRFMO.
To mitigate the transfer of Dutch Elm Disease to other trees, elm trees will be disposed of at the landfill while the remainder will be moved to a town storage site at Eladesor.

The Dragons are playing a packed schedule as they head into the final weeks of the regular season.
The Dragons were on home ice on Tuesday, February 15 to take on the Camrose Kodiaks, and put on a scoring clinic. Vann Yuhas scored just 56 seconds into the game, and followed it up with his second with three minutes left in the first period.
In the second period True Crowe scored the Dragons’ third goal 1:52 in, and Adam Raesler followed it up two minutes later.
The scoring didn’t stop in the third. This time Kody WiIlick found the net seven minutes into the period, and Grayson Dietrich capped it off at the midway point, making it a 6-0 final for the Dragons. Eric Ward stopped 27 shots for his second shutout of the season.
On Thursday, February 17 the Dragons were in Canmore to take on the Eagles. Canmore scored just 1:25 into the game, but less than three minutes later True Crowe scored his third as a Dragon, to tie the game. Kody Willick put the Dragons up 2-1 in the second period and Alexey Trischuk capped it off in the third for a 3-1 Dragons’ win.
The action hasn’t let up for the Dragons, and on Saturday night, February 19, they were home to host the Blackfalds Bulldogs. The Bulldogs scored first, but Ty Daneault tied it up to end the first. In the second period, Blackfalds added two at the midpoint. Hayden Prosofsky and Carter Belitski tied it back up at three each. Blackfalds again took the lead, but Kiano Robinson brought it back to a tie to end the second period.
The Bulldogs scored the winner with four and half minutes left in the third period and added an empty netter in the dying minute, for a 6-4 win.
On Monday, February 21, the Bulldogs were back in the Dragons sights, this time at home.
Hayden Profosky put the Dragons up by one after the first period, and Tanner Willick added to it about seven minutes into the second. The Bulldogs scored shorthanded to end the second period 2-1 Dragons. In the third, Luke Fennig scored unassisted, but the Bulldogs fought back to make it close with six minutes left. Sam Simard sealed it with an empty netter with four seconds left. Dragons win 4-2.
This weekend the Dragons close out the regular season with a home and away series versus the Brooks Bandits. The Dragons host the Bandits on Friday, February 25, and then head to Brooks on Saturday.