More photos of trail repair work at Radford’s Wildwood Park

Charlie Dundas, owner of Tri-State Company, Inc., celebrates after a stump is finally placed by the creek, and he has come down from the slope in Wildwood Park. Photo by Nancy Kent

Nancy Kent of Radford shares these photos taken Sept. 26 while observing trail repair work in Wildwood Park. She writes:

Soon after I entered Wildwood Park on Wednesday afternoon, I heard the sound of a chainsaw. As I strolled into the center of the Park, I could see a huge crane lifting a huge tree trunk. It was the tree that had almost hit the middle bridge during the June wind storm. Charlie Dundas owner of Tri-State Company and H.T. Bowling of H.T. Bowling Construction had teamed up for the removal. What an exciting photo event!

By the time I got close enough for good shots, the crew of workers had guided the trunk to an area beside the bike path. The top of the crane reached high above the tree tops. As I took these photos, I could not see the cab of the crane.

The next task was getting the stump and roots moved away from the bridge without damaging it.

After the tree trunk had been laid aside safely, it was time to get the stump and its roots out of the way. The stump had been secured with wide fabric straps and was ready for the crane’s hook. Mr. Bowling was in the cab, operating the crane. Mr. Dundas was up on the slope offering guidance. The chain saw operator made several cuts in the large roots and then the crane lifted. Crew members stood on the Wildwood’s middle bridge and used hand signals to help guide the crane. After the sawing, testing, and advising was repeated many times, the stump was lifted over the end of the bridge and placed on the bank beside creek. Mr. Bowling said that the crane had measured its weight as 5,000 lbs.!

It was truly amazing for me to see the coordination between these two men and their work crews as the task was completed. Because of their skill and planning, bikers and walkers continued their use of the bike path safely during the entire time. These two companies have worked together many times before. I was delighted that my camera and I had witnessed this event. …

I have gained a great respect for him [Dundas] as a person and as a businessman. I had an opportunity to see first-hand how co-operation and respect for each other’s work have allowed Mr. Charlie Dundas and Mr. H.T. Bowling to accomplish difficult tasks together as they make nature accessible while protecting the ecologic balance as much as possible.

I’m fortunate that my camera helps me get acquainted with such interesting folks.

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