Helicopter tree removal at popular Colorado reservoir to reach completion phase

Anyone who has ever paddled through the flooded forest at Chatfield Reservoir or just spotted it from the shore would notice the trees that line the area. Next time recreators visit the reservoir, most of those trees will be gone.

Work is wrapping up on the Chatfield Reservoir tree removal project. Residents in the area have probably seen or heard a helicopter in the past two months.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife says, while thousands of dead or dying trees must be removed, they represent less than 1% of trees in the state park.

For more than two months, a helicopter has been hard at work removing dead trees and stumps from the reservoir using a special device.

"It clamps the tree, saws it underneath," park manager Kris Wahlers explained. "The helicopter lifts off and is able to transport the tree itself, and they're able to do that between 20 and 30 trees an hour."

Wahlers says the reason for removal can be traced back to May 2023 when heavy rain caused the reservoir to rise nearly 10 feet in eight days.

"The trees were simply inundated," Wahlers said.

The reservoir stayed at "full pool" status for much longer than expected.

"The cottonwood trees and willows, they can withstand really wet conditions, but just over that much time, it was just too much for them," Wahlers said. "And, eventually, the cottonwoods and willows declined and eventually died."

The dead trees now pose a safety hazard to boaters, recreators and dam operations.

"It's not a decision that was taken up lightly," Wahlers said. "It really was done out of an issue of necessity. If they continued to stay there, they would have generated a lot more hazard than they are right now, and we felt, from the safety perspective, they needed to be removed, and a helicopter is simply the most efficient way to do it."

The helicopter removes trees one by one and piles them to be chipped.

"They're just being piled; they're being chipped in place and hauled off," Wahlers said. "Then, the chip is being resold to landscaping companies, to nurseries and things like that."

CPW planted more than 100,000 trees and shrubs in Chatfield in preparation for the removal to preserve habitat.

The total cost for the tree removal is $1.5 million, split between 10 partners in the Chatfield Reallocation Project.

"Some of the trees are in very wet conditions," Wahlers said. "They're in very steep conditions that a ground crew simply can't reach. And so, while more expensive, the helicopter is actually a more efficient way to get in there."

CBS Colorado received tips from neighbors saying the sound of the helicopters was constant and disruptive.

"We do apologize for the inconvenience," Wahlers said. "We completely recognize that we're trying to get the work done as quickly as we can to make it more of a Band-Aid effect."

Wahlers says the helicopter flies from 9 a.m. to sunset, and the work is being done in the offseason to minimize impact.

The good news for those neighbors is that Thursday, Jan. 15 will be the last day of the helicopter's work.

This is actually the second time this tree removal has happened. About a year ago, CPW says around 5,000 trees were removed this way, and they're estimating about 5,000 will be removed this time as well.

Wahlers says some healthy trees in the reservoir will stay.

"We recognize the habitat benefit of some of those, and so, if the larger ones that are in the reservoir right now, if they're still existing, they're going to stay," Wahlers said.

Following the helicopter's work, project partners will finish chipping the cut trees and then regroup.

"The chipping and the hauling will take a little bit longer and a little bit of rehab work for this season, and, then, we'll assess the tree health of the remaining stands over the summer and reconsider what steps we need to take for next winter," Wahlers said.