Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies, and the real answers:

Question: What’s up with all the extensive clearing by FEMA in Biltmore Forest? For the past couple months FEMA crews and heavy equipment have been taking down hundreds of mature live trees, excavating stumps, and clearing nearly all the understory in the lowland forest of Brooklawn Park (between Brookside Road, Brooklawn Chase and Hemlock Road). I asked FEMA employees twice for an explanation. Their vague answer said they were helping improve the waterway along the creek. Their clearing goes well beyond the stream, and I don’t know how removing live trees and extensive clearing can help a stream, wetland or surrounding floodplain. In fact, it has just the opposite effect. I also see extensive clearing of live trees in the nearby upland forest, which FEMA hauls away. It appears that Biltmore Forest has somehow persuaded FEMA to go beyond hurricane disaster relief for possible aesthetic reasons. If so, it is a misuse of FEMA funds. Does FEMA or Biltmore Forest have a valid explanation?

My answer: I don’t know, but they have suspiciously changed the town name to “Biltmore Bald.”

Real answer: Biltmore Forest Town Manager Jonathan Kanipe had a pretty darn long, and I’d say valid, explanation for all the tree cutting.

“The town was exceptionally fortunate not to have flooding or other damages like many places, but we had a catastrophic level of trees and vegetation that had to be cleared and removed,” Kanipe said via email.

The town, home to about 1,435 people, is handling the tree removal, by the way, not FEMA or the Army Corps of Engineers, although Kanipe said the town is abiding by federal requirements.

Kanipe said the town’s debris contractor has been on the job since Oct. 12.

“The right-of-way removal work is largely complete and, to date, just under 385,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris from the public right of way.,” Kanipe said, noting that Biltmore Forest is three square miles in size. “Buncombe County just announced their contractor has removed approximately 1.22 million cubic yards during their right-of-way removal program for unincorporated Buncombe County, the City of Asheville, and the Town of Black Mountain. This land area is approximately 645 square miles.”

Kanipe did the math for me.

“The amount of debris removed within Biltmore Forest is the equivalent of 31 percent of the Buncombe County, Asheville, and Black Mountain removals, while only accounting for roughly .47 percent of the land area,” Kanipe said. “Everyone in the storm-impacted region has done terrific work to assist in the region’s recovery and I am very proud of the work our team in Biltmore Forest has done.”

Kanipe said the work in Brooklawn Park includes both waterway and public park debris removal. 

The town finished construction of its first trail there in May 2024, and it covered just over 1.25 miles in the park.

“The trail was heavily used prior to the storm but was inaccessible and completely covered in downed hardwoods and pine trees after the storm, as was the area within the stream,” Kanipe said. “The writer is correct that FEMA regulations are exceptionally specific in regard to what work can be done within waterway debris removal, and the town has met all these guidelines.”

Kanipe said the town works closely with its debris team — Southern Disaster Recovery for removal and DebrisTech for independent monitoring — “to ensure all work is being done within federal and state regulations, because if they are not done correctly, we do not get reimbursed.”

Before any work took place within Brooklawn Park, “a branch director for the FEMA debris task force met on site and reviewed the scope prior to any approvals being granted and work beginning,” Kanipe said.

“Additionally, the town’s removal contractor must receive approval from the independent monitor before any tree can be removed (even those that are leaning or hazardous) and these locations (as well as all debris generated) are recorded with GPS coordinates and more specific information relative to each load that is then hauled away,” he continued. “The portions of Brooklawn Park where debris or trees were removed not within the waterway, specifically, were areas in and along the trail system that courses through the entire 15 acres.”

The park restoration also included a secondary site visit by FEMA inspectors before any work occurred in the park.

“Many waterways in Biltmore Forest are located within our public park properties, so there is similar and approved work occurring all throughout the town,” Kanipe said. “The properties upstream of Brooklawn Park are privately owned and are large parcels that contained heavily mature forests that suffered tremendous losses during the storm.”

Kanipe said those property owners used their own contractors to bring storm debris to the public right of way for removal, “in accordance with all federal and state regulations, and the town’s contractor removed this material appropriately.”

“We have provided the landowner upstream with information regarding appropriate stream restoration for the portion on private property,” Kanipe added.

Biltmore Forest has been heavily engaged on stream restoration, and that started before Helene struck. Kanipe noted that the town received a grant last year from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund to create a town-wide stormwater and stream restoration plan, which is moving ahead. 

“One small silver lining from Helene is that we are now able to access many of the stream areas that were completely enclosed with invasive species,” Kanipe said. “We are beginning a five- year invasive species removal plan this spring and our engineer is providing recommendations for stream stabilization in the short term and significant replanting in these corridors in the long term.”

Kanipe also addressed the reader’s assertion about tree removal being done for aesthetic reasons.

“This is simply not the case,” Kanipe said. “The town’s debris removal has been Herculean and, aside from it being contrary to federal and state regulations, we do not want to overburden our contractors with things that are not done for recovery and health and safety purposes.”

Biltmore Forest has provided updates about tree removal on its website. It includes daily debris collection reports “that show exactly how much was collected and what portion of the program it occurred in, such as waterways, parks, right of way, and all other information is continually available for review,” Kanipe said.

I also asked the FEMA public affairs team about the situation in Biltmore Forest, and if it had concerns.

“As of April 4, 2025, there have been no identified concerns with debris work in general for Biltmore Forest, or with anything specific to tree removal efforts either,” Fema public affairs stated. “Additionally, when debris is approved for removal, it’s because of the debris representing a specific threat to health, life, or safety or economic recovery aspects. Often it is possible that an element of debris may not immediately appear as a threat, but it creates a risk of future flood threat and thus removal is supported.”

Question: What’s the status of Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville?  When will the work be done? Will the street be repaved? I drive down Patton Avenue two to three times a week and don’t see a lot of work going on. One of those days is Sunday so I give them a break.

My answer: I used to think this project would have no trouble finishing up before the I-26 Connector project, but I’m getting a little skeptical.

Real answer: Called the “Carter-Ann-Patton Stormwater Improvement Project,” this project includes new streetlights, stormwater improvements, improvements for sidewalks and utilities, and a new layer of asphalt. It’s also designed to help with localized flooding near the intersections of Carter Street, Patton Avenue, and South Ann Street.

Originally, it was supposed to wrap up in the winter 2024, according to the city’s webpage, but clearly it’s now going to reach the finish line this year. 

“Paving and concrete work are coming to a close and, weather permitting, the project will wrap up, completing the final ‘punch list’ in May,” City of Asheville spokesperson Kim Miller said.

I last wrote about this in January, as the pavement through this area will rattle your bones and questions are frequent, and Miller said then the project delays “included a required redesign which accommodated previously unidentified utility conflicts in the area, as well as a month and a half delay from Helene impacts, as the contractor was diverted to support essential water system restoration efforts.”

You can track the project on the city’s webpage. It notes that this week they’ve closed three lanes on the south side of Patton between French Broad Avenue and Clingman Avenue. One westbound lane remains open on the north side.

Other traffic will be rerouted to Hilliard Avenue. Milling and paving of the eastbound lanes should be completed this week.

Beginning April 14, there will be a north side closure on Patton Avenue, with three lanes closed between French Broad Avenue and Clingman Avenue. One eastbound lane will remain open on the south side, with a detour continuing on Hilliard Avenue.

“Milling and paving of the westbound lanes will be completed by the end of the week,” the city states. 

Another round of work should start April 21 and include night closures at French Broad and Clingman avenue intersections of Patton Avenue. Milling and paving on Carter Street will take place.

Asheville wheel realignment businesses, plan accordingly.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/

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