Kalispell workers have been busy the past couple of weeks removing dead trees.

Eighteen trees, mostly maple but a couple of ash trees, were removed near the courthouse several weeks ago.

That was followed by five or six Norway maples being cut down near the Earl Bennett Building off First Avenue West.

Kalispell Parks and Recreation Director Mike Baker said he believes the likeliest culprit for the trees’ deaths is the salt content in the soil, which likely resulted from salting sidewalks in the area during the winter.

Maple trees are not salt-resistant, he said, noting the city tested the soil and found high salinity.

The city has about 25 more trees to remove throughout the city, Baker said.

Next, the city plans to take down seven horse chestnut trees on 10th Street West. Those trees are suffering from center rot, Baker said. They were pruned erratically over the years because they were located underneath power lines, he said.

In addition, the city will use some federal grant money to remove four American elm trees over the next few months. Those trees are suffering from Dutch elm disease. So far the city has removed 130 of these trees with federal grant funding. There are at least 237 American elm trees left in the city, many of which are still in good shape, he said.

Baker said the city plans to plant some salt-resistant trees near the courthouse and Earl Bennett Building once a street reconstruction project is complete.

Montana Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lori Ryan said the project has not yet been scheduled. It likely won’t be scheduled for 2011, she said. The state is waiting on completion of an environmental assessment and for the project’s inclusion into the department’s annual planning program.

The city plans to buy 40 trees to replace the 51 it is cutting down. Some of the dead trees were located too close to each other, Baker said.