News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Large piles of debris from trees line the curbside in Alpena on Tuesday.

ALPENA — Nearly everywhere in Northeast Michigan, there are large piles of debris left from the recent ice storm sitting on curbsides waiting to be hauled away.

How people are able to dispose of the limbs, branches, and trees differs depending on where they live because individual municipalities are responsible for their own brush removal plan.

No matter where you live, it is likely clear-up from the ice storm will take weeks.

In rural Michigan, small cities and townships will not be able to lead a clean-up effort because of the high cost of it and a lack of viable locations to pile the many tons of debris.

In those townships, people will have to find ways to unload the wood from the fallen trees on their own.

John Male, supervisor for Maple Ridge Township, said large piles of brush are already standing in people’s yards and along the roadway. He said the township will not have the resources to help residents with curbside pickup. Male said people will need to dispose of the debris themselves. He added that he can already see progress in the clean-up when he drives around the township.

“People will probably have to get burn permits and burn it or find someone who owns some wooded area and see if they can dump it there,” he said. “There have been quite a few people who have already done their cleanup, and many people have cut the trees up for firewood.”

Ossineke Township Supervisor Ken Lobert said he has been so busy doing wellness checks and making sure the residents have the resources they need, that he has put little thought into the township’s role in the clean-up effort. He said that will change soon.

“I just haven’t had the time to think about this with everything else that is going on and with so many people without power and trees down in the roads,” he said. “We have a trustee meeting on Monday and will discuss it then.”

The Alpena County Road Commission will not be taking the yard debris from people’s yards and will instead deal with the brush and debris along the roads and in ditches. Road Commission Managing Director Ryan Brege said Michigan law provides a right-of-way easement of 33 feet to either side of the centerline. It is illegal for residents to place fallen trees, branches, or other storm debris in this space. He said people need to pile their debris on their own property until they can dispose of it. Brege added that brush on the side of the road could also impede road commission clean-up jobs and utility workers who are trying to restore power.

“The Alpena County Road Commission is working around-the-clock to return our paved and unpaved roads to normal following this catastrophic ice storm,” he said. “We are in a state of emergency, and residents are asked not to place fallen trees, branches, or other storm debris in the road right-of-way. Only trees pushed off the road are temporarily allowed in this space.”

In Alpena, residents will have a little easier time disposing of the yard debris. The city’s department of public works is already collecting the roadside brush, and two contractors are lending a hand.

In a press release, the city laid out its expectations for people who want their brush removed.

“We are picking up brush from street side trees as well as from private trees, and owners should stack the brush in between the street and sidewalk with the cut ends facing out,” the press release says. “The Public Works staff and contractors will not go onto private property to collect branches or other debris.”

The city also wants people to be aware that many branches are still hanging from trees and can be easily dislodged by the wind, and they should exercise caution while working in and around trees.

The 72-hour max time period for leaving brush on the curb is waived for this clean-up only, as well as the pile maximum size.

Knowing that some of the townships may struggle to dispose of the brush, Alpena County Administrator Jesse Osmer said Board of Commissioners chairman John Kozlowski is trying to find a location where everyone in the county can dump their brush. Osmer said if and when a place is found, the information would be shared with the public.

“We’re looking and we have a few ideas,” he said. “Right now, we just don’t have anything definite.”

In Presque Isle County, Rogers City, Onaway, and the county have conducted a debris assessment review, and it intends to release the plan for all the brush soon.

In Montmorency County, people can drop off yard debris at two locations. The first is in Albert Township at Old Glancy Pit, located at 8673 Buttles Road, and another at Old Stevens Pit, located off Pleasant Valley Road and Hunt Road.