It took only three and a half days for seven trees, estimated to be 100 years old, to come down. The trees were removed last week and early this week to make way for the widening of Selah Loop Road from Goodlander Road to Gore Road.

Wolff’s Tree Service, of Yakima, contracted with Granite Northwest, the road contractors, to take down the big trees.

“We’ve done bigger jobs, but these trees were taller,” said Scott Wendt, Wolff’s arbor consultant. “That’s why we brought in the 85-foot genie lift.”

The tallest tree was 110 feet, he said.

Wendt said the only problem they had taking down the trees, was being limited to one lane of traffic to work in, rather than getting full road closure.

“They could only hold traffic for 20 minutes,” he said. “When you are that high and there is a lot of material on ground, they had to work extremely hard to get limbs out of the roadway.”

Tanya Rodriguez, owner of Wolff’s Tree Service, and Northwest Arbor Rehab, Inc., has been in the tree business for seven years.

“You hate to take them out, but you have to, to widen the road,” she said. “It was unfortunate for her (owner Maxine Schreiner). Scott briefly spoke to her and told her he was sorry. She was a very nice lady.”

The logs were hauled to Graf and Sons Log Salvage in Grandview to be milled. After the wood is seasoned and cut, it will be donated to the Selah High School woodshop.

George Graf, owner of the mill, said he expects 4,000 to 5,000 board feet from the trees.

“We will store them and cut them for the high school,” Graf said. Graf is friends with Ray Harris, Ag instructor at the high school.

“We’ve done a lot of stuff for the kids and never felt bad about it,” Graf said. “They have a sawmill, but it won’t handle logs this size.”

Some of the logs are five feet thick and 12 feet long, Graf said, and the bigger logs weigh three to four tons a piece.

Whatever wood the high school doesn’t want, Graf said they would sell.

Jim Clifton, woodshop instructor at the high school, said the wood is welcomed and will provide wood for projects for the 75 students who enroll in woodshop each trimester.

“Tentatively the students plan to make a table and end tables for (Schreiner),” Clifton said. “But the wood needs to dry for a year.”

“It was a thought between Ray and I,” Clifton said. “It would be a good gesture…it would be kind of neat.”