Evergreen school district thins trees

“We periodically thinned it out, limbed it up, but we continued to have a lot of bad things happen in the woods there,” she said. “It was scary to walk in there.”

So after hiring consultants and obtaining permits from the Department of Natural Resources, crews removed 20 truckloads of trees, or 220 tons of logs. And the project paid for itself.

“The sale of the timber is what actually paid for the contract to remove the (trees), fencing, gravel path,” she said. “It was zero cost to the district.”

During the planning process, Hanson pushed for the path to be added. When it was approved, he helped to map out where it should go.

“I wanted them to have a place for them to call their own,” he said.

To fill in some of the holes in the path’s loop, the team’s booster club purchased bark chips and the high school runners helped spread them into a path on a 200-meter incline nicknamed “heartbreak hill.”

“I’m feeling more proud of it,” said Taryn Sciortino, senior and co-captain of the boys’ team. “We worked on it … we helped make this.”

The wide path allows runners to stay together as a group, which Sciortino said is helpful in pushing each other and improving as a team.

“Yeah, cross country is an individual sport, but you have to have five people to score,” he said. “We want to stay together as a pack, and it’s motivating.”

Having fewer trees in the area has created a better line of sight, which was the district’s goal in an effort to reduce criminal activity. For the team, it also allows spectators a view of nearly the entire course — something that isn’t typical in a sport that can span a couple of miles.

“We’re able to see each other and cheer for each other,” said Tyler McGrath, co-captain for the boys’ team. “It’ll be nice to get that support.”

And while the team has worked to make it their own, they understand the path in the wooded area is not just theirs.

Earlier this month, the Evergreen High School cross country team hosted a run for Cascade Middle School runners and put on a community fun run on the path. Coach Hanson said he hopes to add benches for community members to enjoy.

Tori Duong, the girls’ team captain, said she’s happy when she sees other people using the path.

“It’s not just restricted to a certain group of people,” she said. “It can be a nice walk for families or people walking their dogs.”