SEATTLE — The destructive winds that have been howling through western Washington this week have brought down many trees. Some of those trees crushed cars when they fell onto busy roadways.
The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has been quick to clean up the debris, but crews are also working to keep the roads clear by clearing trees before they hit the ground.
"There's a lot of value in trees, not just from an aesthetic standpoint,” said James Moran with the WSDOT. "Trees have a ton of functions that are important, not just to the environment, but also to the structure of our embankments and roadways.”
Moran and his fellow field crew members are trained to monitor the health of trees along Washington's highways.
“What we're looking for are changes, right? So, when a tree starts to change, whether it's losing its limbs, its leaves, turning different colors, you know, that's kind of some of those early signs,” Moran said.
He and his team know what to look for and how to respond. Moran said they also work with arborists from the Washington State Parks Department.
“They're great at assessing a tree for risk, identifying what those diseases are in many cases, and they're just experts at removing the trees and they have all of the equipment necessary," Moran said.
When the recent storm blew through, trees fell along I-5 near Joint Base Lewis-McChord and along I-405 near 70th Place.
“The trees that were stressed from drought or from other things, [those] things tend to sort of reveal themselves when we get 40-mile-an-hour winds and the soils are saturated," Moran said.
Crews are ready to spring into action if trees topple over for any reason.
The WSDOT depends on people across the state to let them know if they see a tree that might need attention. If you see one along a road you travel, you're asked to reach out to to WSDOT. However, if you see a tree blocking a roadway, the WSDOT urges you to call 911 and let local authorities know.