Anchorage Assembly set to award $2.4M in tree-removal contracts Tuesday

Hazard trees and beetle-killed spruce threatening homes and public safety in the Anchorage bowl could be removed, trimmed, or assessed under three on-call service contracts worth up to $2.4 million combined that the Anchorage Assembly is scheduled to vote on Tuesday.

The contracts are structured as indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity agreements, covering removal, trimming, and arborist services on an as-needed basis. They would go to Gage Tree Service, Paul's Tree Service, and Tall Trees, each capped at $800,000 over four years at $200,000 per period.

The contracts also make the firms available to other city departments during wildfires or emergencies.

Mayor Suzanne LaFrance submitted the recommendation. Contract Administrator Jennifer Stuller wrote that "the need for these services is inherent in the Municipality's duty to mitigate spruce beetle kill trees as well as hazard trees that pose a risk to public safety and homes."

Spruce beetle outbreaks have killed trees across millions of acres of southcentral Alaska forest. Dead trees near homes, roads, and recreation sites can pose safety hazards and increase wildfire risk.

The Assembly meets later today, June 23.