City of Minot departments have combined forces to continue collecting hundreds of tree piles that remain in the city after the windstorm two weeks ago.

Crews from multiple departments have already collected more than 2,000 tree piles since Oct. 7, and there are more than 700 piles remaining, according to a city news release.

The city released the following updated plan, beginning Monday, Oct. 21:

– Sanitation and street department crews will be working in northwest Minot. After the northwest quadrant is completed, crews will move to the southwest, southeast and northeast quadrants, in that order.

– Once crews complete a sweep of each quadrant, any new tree piles will be collected by sanitation crews as part of their regular process as time permits.

– Branches should be stacked or bundled as neatly as possible on the boulevard. Branches should be no longer than 6 feet, and logs must be less than 10 inches in diameter. Place the cut ends of branches towards the street to make collection more efficient for crews. Logs and bundles should not exceed 40 pounds.

Public Works Operations Director Bryan Banfill said it’s difficult to estimate how long the mass tree collection process will take to complete.

“Our street crews are busy preparing for winter weather, including sweeping streets to keep leaves and other debris out of the curb and the storm sewer drains,” Banfill said in the release. “Our crews are patching water break holes and adjusting manhole covers prior to the first freeze or snowfall to prevent damage during snow removal, and we’re also blading alleys and putting down gravel in preparation for winter.”

The number of tree piles continues to grow, and the number of additional city employees available to assist with their removal is limited because of other seasonal responsibilities.

“We have a lot going on right now at Public Works, but we wanted to let everyone know we’re working to eliminate this massive backlog of tree piles as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Banfill said.