The harvest of two units at Poplar Tree Farm owned by the City of Chehalis along state Route 6 was underway as of Monday morning, Chehalis Wastewater Superintendent Justin Phelps confirmed.
Two of the three units total, which amounts to 6,500 trees and about 40 acres, are being harvested on the frontage of state Route 6.
According to the City of Chehalis website, poplar trees are harvested every 10 to 15 years to make paper. The farm is divided into 11 units where one to two units are watered at a time and planted with nine different varieties of hybrids.
Poplar trees have about a 12- to 15-year lifespan, and the trees were about five years overdue for harvest, Phelps said. The harvesting will likely be concluded by the end of the week and will include one day of traffic control on Highway 6 in both directions as logging takes place.
“The Chehalis Water Department planted this poplar tree farm to absorb water from the wastewater treatment plant,” the city states on its website. “This innovation has created a new way for water resource management and a more economic use for reclaimed water. Water reclaimed from the wastewater treatment plant is periodically pumped out to the tree farm when the Chehalis River falls below 1,000 cubic feet per second … The treated water also benefits the underground aquifer. The poplar trees are harvested every 10 to 15 years to make paper. The trees bring a natural habitat for bird life in the area as well.”
For future safety concerns, city staff will also be cutting the highway frontage in Unit 9 next to the harvested units. Once those are removed, staff believe they won’t have to worry about trees falling across the highway if a catastrophic event were to happen, Phelps said.
