July 7, 2015 Media Inquiries
Karen Woodard / Andrea Hawkins
(214) 670-1509/(214) 670-4678
(972) 709-3622 (M)/(817) 994-2498 (M)
Federal aviation safety requires city to remove
trees at Bachman Lake Park
(DALLAS) – Federal aviation requirements to ensure safe operation of Love Field’s precision-guided instrument approach and landing systems are calling for the City of Dallas to remove six trees at Bachman Lake Park. Dallas Park and Recreation Department forestry crews expect to begin removal operations July 15.
Federal Aviation Administration officials said removing the trees is necessary to comply with laws that prescribe the limitation of trees around two critical ground-based technology facilities related to the airport’s instrument landing systems. The FAA calls for a specified area around the localizer guidance signal and localizer antenna array be free from visible obstructions to ensure aircraft safety during blinding fog, rain, snow and other reduced-visibility situations that make it necessary for pilots to rely on aircraft instruments for flying.
Threeyears ago Dallas took the same actions to remove 25trees that extended into Love Field’s runway approach slope. Those removals were needed to avoid operational limitations for using the airport’s primary runways. This time, officials expect the removals to take two to three weeks to complete.
Working collaboratively with the city’s park and aviation departments, the FAA identified an area of trees near the antenna array that will be removed in order to maintain communications between planes and Love Field air traffic controllers. According to park officials, the affected tree species include semi-matured cedar, pecan and cottonwoods.
Park and recreation officials said plans are in progress to plant appropriate treespecies at the park in locations not be affected by current FAA regulations. Tree replacement will take place upon the completion of the Dallas Water Utilities projects at Bachman Lake.
Since 2004 when the park and recreation department initiated a proactive planting program at Bachman Lake, more than 500 small- and medium-canopy redbuds, little gem magnolias, crepe myrtles, cedar elms and Chinese pistachios have been planted in areas not likely to require removal due to the airport safety restrictions. Dallas is recognized is a Tree City USA city by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, said park and recreation officials.
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