by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“If we find out any of those trees are on private property, we will regroup and figure out what we need to do,” said Jimmy Davis at the April 29 public hearing on the Franklin County Airport Clearing Obstruction Project. Davis serves as University Director of Business Services and the Fixed Base Operator for the Franklin County Airport located on the Domain. The airport will undertake removing obstructive vegetation from the runway approach to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. Based on a preliminary aerial review of the project, Davis does not anticipate the need for tree cutting on private land. The engineering and environmental assessment team engaged by the airport provided an overview of the project.

“The state requires a 20:1 approach surface to the runway that is obstruction free,” said project engineer Glen Heath. For every 20 feet of distance, the tree height cannot increase more than one foot. Clearing for instrument landing would require a 34:1 approach surface, Heath noted, meaning lower vegetation for longer distances so more tree cutting. “The instrument approach [criterion] was taken off the project. It’s not worth it,” Heath said.

Heath explained the logistics of the proposed vegetation removal. “When removing obstructions, you want the vegetation to be 10 feet below [the threshold] because the vegetation will continue to grow.” Heath pointed out trees grew two feet a year. The project is federally funded through the Tennessee Department of Transportation. “They [the airport] would prefer to cut everything they can to the ground, because once the state pays for this process one time, they will not pay for a second trimming,” Heath stressed.

Davis anticipates a dense area near the Mountain Goat Trail will be clear cut, with two other areas undergoing selective cutting. “Where the trees are really thick and tall, if we don’t clear it all, we will be back doing it in just a couple years.”

Evaluating possible environmental impact is the other guiding principal of the project. Because of its “size and scope” the project required an environmental review, Davis said. According to Environmental Scientist Amana Heritt, researchers identified four endangered species in the county, Northern Pine Snakes, Northern Long-eared and Indiana Bats, and White Fringeless Orchids. Due to possible habitat destruction from tree cutting, the research team undertook an extensive search for the orchid; none were found. Likewise, the endangered snake and bats were not observed, but tree cutting will occur between Oct. 15 and March 15 when the species are hibernating. “We want no impact to the environment,” Heritt observed.

Heritt explained there were three levels of environmental review, with the project calling for a midlevel review. “We started out with a Categorical Exclusion [review] and the state aeronautics moved it up to an Environmental Assessment [the midlevel review].” For the runway obstruction clearing four years ago, the state only required a Categorical Exclusion review.

The obstruction clearing four years ago resulted in contention and a legal battle with neighboring landowner. “This [current project] has not had the impact of what was going on four and a half years ago,” said Franklin County Mayor Chris Guess. “That was a communication and attitude and personnel issue.”

“If any of the trees that need to come down are on private property, we need to have a conversation about it,” said Matt Hughes who served as a community spokesperson on the committee that formed to resolve the controversy in 2021.

“If trees on private property need to come down, we will have a conversation about it and figure this out,” Davis insisted. “This whole thing is about relationships and trust.”

“We hope to have bids in hand, a contractor on board, and ready to go by October,” Heath said.