The Department of Public Works has given a two-week extension for comments and concerns about tree work after residents at an April 22 hearing objected to the removal of more than two-thirds of the trees identified on two lists by Eversource and the town.
Residents asked Eversource to spare 180 of the 264 trees (68%) it proposes to trim or remove that are “dead, in decline, or otherwise [pose] a hazard to the safe and reliable operation of the electrical system and the roadway.” The company said it focuses on pruning within specific clearances (8–10 feet to the side, 10 feet below, and 15 feet above lines) but will remove entire trees that are deemed to be “severe hazards.”
Residents objected to the removal of two of the trees on the town list. All but one of the 15 are ash trees damaged by emerald ash borers.
Concerns and comments on trees may be sent directly to Superintendent of Public Works Stephen Olson at olsons@lincolnma.gov until Monday, May 11. “We will take these additional concerns into consideration before we make any final decisions,” Olson said.
“Consistent with the town’s goal of an all-electric community Eversource has a responsibility to deliver power reliably. They are also respectful of the town’s conservation and tree protection goals. As in the past, the town will work with Eversource to meet both objectives,” Tree Warden Ken Bassett said. “Given the large number of tree removal objections, the criteria will continue to provide a basis for decisions but will also be reviewed for adjustments as we work through the entire list of trees.”
An ideal solution would be to remove the printed notices from clearly viable trees, then apply them to some of the numerous doubled phone poles around town!