Troy, ID - A big thunderstorm passed over the town of Troy earlier this month knocking down 19 trees that completely blocked access to the popular Latah Trail.

It was the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) Teakean Hand Crew to the rescue. "Our heroes don’t wear red capes, but occasionally they do wield chainsaws," said IDL Director Dustin Miller.

The crew went to work cutting up and removing downed trees in a matter of hours. Their hard work quickly opened the trail, saved the county days of hard labor, and kept IDL firefighters tuned and ready for the fire season ahead.

Latah County was grateful for the professional help from the Teakean Crew.

"The firefighters had the trail cleared by noon. It would have taken us days and days since we don't have their training or expertise," said Latah County Parks Director Andy Grant. "The downed trees were all perfectly cut and stacked, allowing my staff to concentrate on removing the wood, branches and brush."

"Idaho Department of Lands strives to be an active, positive partner in our communities," said Miller. "It is our people that make us who we are as an agency, and I am proud of our Teakean Crew for stepping up and making a difference.”

This isn't the first project the Teakean Hand Crew has completed in cooperation with Latah County Parks and Recreation. This is the 6th year the crew has completed fuels mitigation work which means reducing the risk of intense wildfire by removing fallen or dead standing trees and woody debris. Prior projects completed have been at Spring Valley Reservoir and Robinson County Park.

The Teakean Hand Crew is made up of 20 firefighters and is based out of IDL's Ponderosa Supervisory Area in Deary, Idaho. The team, established in 2018, is IDL’s only standing, full-time 20-person hand crew. It is a special resource within IDL that can be moved to difficult fires, wherever they are needed in the state or across the nation during times of low fire danger within Idaho.