A tree removal project on Highway 20 east of Nevada City that’s been going on since September is nearing completion…

click to listen to Liza Whitmore

Cal Trans spokesperson Liza Whitmore says the project began near the I-80 junction and is now near the White Cloud campground…

click to listen to Liza Whitmore

Crews are removing trees within 100 feet of the roadway’s center line. That should also help reduce fuel for wildfires. Whitmore says the project should be completed in the next month or so and no later than the end of December. So that means one-way traffic controls remain in effect on most weekdays, from around 7am to 4pm. The U.S Forest Service has recently identified an additional 36 million dead trees in California, since its last aerial survey in May. That brings the total since 2010 to over 102 million on 7.7 million acres. This year alone, 62 million trees have died, a more than 100% increase since last year.