Black Mountain

A grey spring day at Lake Tomahawk, Mar 22, 2024

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Trees off the dam

Looking toward the dam at Lake Tomahawk yesterday, there's an openness which used to have trees.


Approximately 50 trees are being removed, including their roots.  The lake will be drained in order to do this.

I wonder if these in the foreground will be spared, or just hadn't been felled yet.

Apparently this is such a big event it's been covered in our local TVnews, just click here.
Here's the text of the TV clip...
LAKE TOMAHAWK, N.C. -- A major change to the landscape of one Black Mountain neighborhood has many people upset.

Viewers wanted to know why the town of Black Mountain was cutting down dozens of historic trees on Lake Tomahawk.

Crews have been working since last week to take them down after orders came from the Dam Safety Division in Raleigh.

Engineers are concerned these 80-year-old trees have such large roots, that if they died, it would open up issues in the dam and lead to a breach.

Now crews will be working through April to remove the stumps and roots, a project that will cost about $40,000.

"This looks like devastation, like Hurricane Katrina came through and knocked it all down," Black Mountain Mayor Michael Sobol said. "We do have a plan."

"Well it's almost like an operation," Ann Whisenant of Black Mountain said. "It's not very pleasant but it's something that has to be done."

Black Mountain's Beautification Committee is planning on transforming this site once the tree work is done, they'll be confined to mostly plants and flowers to avoid large roots

There was some concern that removing these roots, which have helped keep this land together for more than half a century, would compromise the dam.  

Mayor Sobol says the crews will be removing one at a time to prevent any problems."


I'm  glad I read about it in our weekly newspaper, The Black Mountain News, a few weeks ago.


Today's Quote:


All the way to heaven is heaven.
Catherine of Siena

3 comments:

  1. I'm not a scientist, but it seems that removing the trees and roots will cause problems for the dam's stability. I don't see a lot of difference between the trees dying and the roots dying or cutting down the trees and removing the roots. Admittedly, I have not experience as a civil engineer.

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  2. It doesn't quite make sense as the roots already there will eventually rot and leave gaps in the soil.

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  3. That's a beautiful place and sad to see the trees go but I guess they are putting everyone's safety first. It's always a shame to see old trees cut down if they are still growing and healthy though. Thanks for visiting. You asked me where the school house was. It is actually a little play room/wendy-type house that is next to a church. The children are supervised inside while their parents go to service. I am also assuming it is like a Bible Study class for the children. It is on a route we occasionally take to the Shenandoah's when we go for a Sunday drive here in Virginia but I can't remember the exact location as we don't take that particular route very often.

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So glad to have your comments...whatever they may be. I'm one who likes to reply sometime or another, so others will see that; or you might happen back sometime and see what conversation might have started.