City Of Duluth To Begin Tree Removal At Brighton Beach

The City of Duluth Parks and Recreation Department announced this week that soon a project will begin within Kitchi Gammi Park (Brighton Beach) that will involve the removal of trees.

According to the City, the removal of trees within Brighton Beach is necessary for the construction of the road through Brighton Beach, which is scheduled to be done later this year.

They add that removing the trees in the winter months, rather than completing removals in the spring, reduces the potential disruption to birds and bats as it avoids their nesting and migrating times.

They urge residents to use caution when using the park and the trail during the tree removal period as there will be tree removal taking place very close to the trail in some locations to allow for connections from parking to the trail and park to be constructed.

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Also, in addition to the removal of trees within the road construction limits, there will be the removal of invasive tree species within the park.

Scotch pine, also known as Scots pine, is not native to Duluth and it outcompetes beneficial native species. Removal of these invasive trees will help to protect the native species planted during the park improvement project, and the existing native plants within the park.

The City notes that the majority of park infrastructure and shoreline restoration was completed last fall and there is temporary fencing in place throughout the park until the new landscaping becomes established.

The remaining work includes road construction, installation of signage, and placement of park amenities. There will be no events, programming, or park reservations allowed at Brighton Beach until road construction is complete.

This part of the Brighton Beach Mini-Master Plan Update, adopted on August 19, 2019, which called for the extension of the Lakewalk, relocation of the road away from the shoreline, and restoration of the shoreline.

Brighton Beach has had repeated storm damage from Lake Superior, and it will experience future damage unless the City acts to ensure its long-term resiliency by mitigating the impacts of future events.

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