Chainsaws echoed through Logan’s Island neighborhood on Monday as crews sliced into the thick trunks of century-old trees lining Canyon Road, clearing the way for a new waterline project.
Tree dust hung in the air, leaving a strong, woody smell as residents paused to watch — and photograph — the steady procession of falling limbs.
Among them was Anne Shifrer, a longtime Logan resident who paced up and down the road, taking in what she called the “devastation.”
Crews spent several minutes sawing through the massive trunk of a towering ash tree before it finally gave way, crashing onto the pavement with a deep, echoing boom.
“When I first came to Logan about 35 years ago, I thought this was the most beautiful street in town,” Shifrer said. She signed a petition that drew nearly 5,000 signatures aimed at stopping the removals. “It looked like a fairy-tale — enchanting — so this makes me very sad.”
Logan officials said Canyon Road will be closed from 600 East to Crockett Avenue daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Friday to accommodate the tree removal, according to a notice on the city’s Facebook page. Residents received notices about the work last week.
Some held a vigil Sunday night to honor the trees, huddling under umbrellas to ward off the pelting rain as they lit candles and reaffixed signs from the “Save the Canyon Road Trees” campaign.
Green ribbons from the campaign still clung to several trunks Monday afternoon as crews worked steadily down the road, where all 17 beloved ash trees are slated for removal.
J-U-B Engineers, the civil engineering firm overseeing the project, said trunks and branches more than 12 inches wide will be salvaged and stored at a city facility until officials decide if and how they can be repurposed.
Shifrer hopes they turn the trees into benches to showcase the ash wood’s grain.
“I think it’s a great idea to commemorate them and tell the story of the trees,” she said.
