Fate of trees to be announced on June 8

Faced with objections at an April 22 hearing to the proposed pruning or removal of numerous roadside trees by Eversource, town officials will now give their final decision to the Select Board on Monday, June 8 at 6:45pm (Zoom link here).

There were actually two lists of trees released last month, one with trees identified by Eversource and another with trees targeted by the town. At the hearing, residents asked the town to spare more than two-thirds of the trees it proposed to trim or remove. The DPW then extended the comment period to May 11.

“Based on our initial inspections, the list of approximately 270 trees has already been reduced to 207,” Tree Warden Ken Bassett said in a statement released on May 18. An updated list of trees approved for removal will be posted to the Tree Warden’s web page in advance of the Select Board meeting. “We have authorized Eversource to remove a limited number of trees that are clearly dead or in severe decline and present an immediate concern. No additional removals will proceed until the town’s review process has been completed.”

In come cases where officials decide to trim rather than cut down a tree, “removal may be considered at a later date if the tree’s health declines following pruning,” Bassett said, adding that any future removal would require a separate Chapter 87 tree hearing.

The tree warden has a “modest budget” for tree planting, and Eversource has also offered to submit a mitigation planting plan. The town is also hoping that the state will pass recently filed legislation establishing a $20 million tree-planting fund.

The town intends at some point to draw up bylaw amendments regarding tree removal, Planning Board chair Lynn DeLisi said at a meeting in May 2025.

The Lincoln Tree Preservation Study Group and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust will host a Zoom webinar on Thursday, May 21 from 7:00–8:15pm on “Trees and People Around the World: A Historic Perspective.” Matt Foti of Foti Tree and Landscape in Lexington will share knowledge gained from years of exploring the relationship between trees and people, including the historic significance of some of our own native trees. He’ll also talk about how people’s lives depend on trees for food, protection, fuel, medicine, religion, shelter, and even transportation. Click here to register for the webinar.