Though the snow has melted, evidence of its destruction is still prevalent on campus two weeks after Eugene’s ice storm. According to the University of Oregon Campus Operations, making all the proper repairs around campus is still going to take some time. As of now there’s no end date in sight.

“It’s been pretty catastrophic what the snow was able to do to the campus,” campus arborist John Anthony said. “We’re still assessing just how much damage has been done.”

What made the 2-6 inches of snowfall in early February more dangerous than December’s snowstorm was the rain that occurred during the day, which would then freeze over at night and add unfamiliar weight to tree limbs. The result: hundreds of breakages that left branches falling and breaking light posts, electric wires and damaging cars throughout Eugene.

Campus Operations is currently in the process of picking up all the fallen branches, as well as cutting down the branches that are in pedestrian areas that have the potential to break and fall. After they’re done cutting the branches, the next phase is to cut down the trees that were left vulnerable as a result of the snow storm.

“After we’re done with removing all the hazardous limbs, we’ll be moving on to taking down the trees that have some root damage or have been deemed dangerous for some other reason and is in a high traffic area,” Landscape Maintenance Supervisor Phillip Carroll said. “We’re currently making a master list of what trees need to be removed.”

Although they’re still in the assessment stage of what trees need to go, Campus Operations has removed some trees that have been considered an immediate danger to students.

On Feb. 23, a tree was removed in the Lawrence Courtyard. The tree was split directly in half, and one side of the tree was leaning against the Lawrence building, located near the Allied Architecture building. It took the service crew all day to remove the tree, but by the end of the day they were able to remove all hazards the tree posed.

The trees being removed vary in size. They can be anywhere from 15-20 feet tall or the size of a building.

“My philosophy during this entire time is to be thinking years ahead,” Carroll said. “We’re taking into account the history, the value, the size and what would be an appropriate replacement for a tree that has to be removed.”

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