Airfield safety demands removal of live oak Published Oct. 27, 2010 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Poet Joyce Kilmer said it best -- "I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree." Keesler has been recognized as a Tree City USA for 17 consecutive years by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Keesler's varied collection of trees is one of its most treasured resources. But when it comes to aircraft safety, base officials have no choice but to remove trees, vegetation and wildlife hazards that obstruct the airfield. That's the case with a large live oak tree near the southeast end of Keesler's runway that's scheduled to be removed in about two weeks, according to Col. Rodney Berk, 81st Mission Support Group commander. "The removal is a part of the Air Force Chief of Staff's Airfield Obstruction Reduction Initiative," said Justin Cooper, Keesler's airfield operations chief. "The tree falls within an accident potential zone near the runway called the mandatory zone of frangibility, which is 250 feet on each side of the runway centerline in the clear zone." Mr. Cooper says the Air Force knows that the risk to people due to aircraft accidents is small, but an accident is a high consequence event and the result is often catastrophic. Despite stringent maintenance requirements and countless hours of training, he noted that past history makes it clear that accidents are going to occur. The Air Force doesn't attempt to base its land use recommendations on accident probabilities, but by the fact that an aircraft accident is a significant catastrophic event and poses a higher risk of injury and damage. Air Education and Training Command Instruction 32-1056 published Aug. 27 mandates that all correctable violations of airfield planning and design criteria within the mandatory frangibility zone or the graded area of the clear zone must be programmed for elimination. If the violation can't be corrected with in-house resources, wings must prioritize the project and aggressively pursue funding to execute the required corrective action. "It's the base's policy to protect and replant native trees where feasible," said Janet Lanier, CSC environmental manager. "The Urban Forestry Management Plan and AETC Tree Conservation Policy create an active tree management and replacement policy for all native trees that have to be removed. Keesler has consistently implemented planning and design projects that minimize removal of native trees while sustaining our mission." Ms. Lanier noted that Keesler planted 914 trees during 2009 and continues to monitor and support the health of existing trees. The base works with the Mississippi Land Trust and the Mississippi State Foresters Office to provide a coordinated effort for tree protection and management.