The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

agriculture and flora

Comment period extended after objections to tree-cutting

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.”

Public hearing for tree cutting and removal scheduled

Editor’s notes:

  • Based on new information from the DPW on April 16, plans to cut undergrowth trees on Lexington Road, Trapelo Road, South Great Road, and Tower Road as described in the penultimate paragraph below have been shelved.
  • This article was updated with more relevant tree hazard descriptions from Eversource on April 10.

On Wednesday, April 22 at 7:00pm at the Town Hall, a public hearing will be held to consider the removal of three sets of trees in the public right of way. 

Eversource Energy wants to cut and/or remove the trees listed here that are dead, in decline, or otherwise posing a hazard to the safe and reliable operation of the electrical system and the roadway. Eversource focuses on pruning within specific clearances (8–10 feet to the side, 10 feet below, and 15 feet above lines), but they will remove entire trees that are deemed to be severe hazards. They are listed on that page by size category (DBH, or diameter at breast height) and hazard rating. Those ratings are based on a detailed inspection International Society of Arboriculture tree risk assessment form used by Eversource arborists, with 1–3 ratings corresponding to low, medium and high risk.

As described by Eversource arborist Matthew Miller, “generally the 1’s are smaller diameter ‘wrong tree, wrong place’ situations where they are growing over the wires with proximity and a lean but don’t necessarily have defects. While I gave these trees the ‘low’ risk rating, that is with respect to risk within the tree list. If a tree in my opinion posed no risk to the wires or roadway they wouldn’t be included in the list. 2’s generally have more obvious potential health issues. They may not die in the immediate future but they could start dropping limbs or be stressed enough for a windstorm to get them. 3’s have the largest rot cavities, are dead outright or are infected ash, or they are touching the primary wires.”

Miller also offered a comprehensive explanation of the company’s tree removal practices as of 2024 in this Lincoln Squirrel article.

A second set of trees listed here is being considered for removal by the Town of Lincoln (at Eversource’s expense) because they are dead, in decline, or otherwise posing a hazard to the safe and reliable operation of the roadway.

Eversource also wants to cut and remove undergrowth trees on Lexington Road, Trapelo Road, South Great Road, and Tower Road. With abutter approval, all trees 10” or less in diameter under the wires that are growing up into the wires will be cut to the stump.

For more information, contact the Lincoln DPW, see this Eversource Tree-Trimming FAQs page, or call 800-592-2000.

My Turn: McMackin highlights species interconnectedness in gardening talk

By Robin Wilkerson and Steve Atlas

Rebecca McMackin, a rising star in the world of ecological horticulture, made the case for a different approach to gardening to a rapt crowd of Lincolnites at the Donaldson Auditorium on April 7.

McMackin, whose TED Talk has generated 1.3 million plays, was for 10 years the head horticulturist at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York. The park was built on four abandoned piers in the Hudson River and is now a resplendent garden of native plants that attracts bees, butterflies, and birds as well as millions of human visitors. McMackin’s presentation repeatedly emphasized the interconnectedness of all species, including people.

She shared many of the lessons learned in Brooklyn that can easily be applied to our own gardens in order to achieve biologically diverse habitats that are also beautiful. Practices like leaving the leaves contributes enormously to the health of our gardens. Leaves feed the soil the way nature intended. They also provide a habitat for a rich array of insects, amphibians, and birds. 

A skirt of leaves around the base of a tree provides soft landings for hatched caterpillars to complete their life cycles and turn into butterflies, moths, and fireflies. Leaves are nature’s own fertilizer and soil conditioner.

McMackin also spoke about alternative ways to “clean up” our gardens in the spring that protect and nurture insect life — a crucial and undervalued component of the natural world. Cutting dead stalks of perennials to a foot provides habitat for insects and can also provide structure to support new growth. 

For those fortunate enough to be in attendance, the evening was eye-opening — an opportunity to see how the myriad living elements of the natural world need each other if all are to thrive. Rather than admonishing gardeners, McMackin sees storytelling as a way to educate (and in this case, also entertain) an audience.

The talk was presented by the Lincoln Garden Club. The co-sponsors were the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, the Bemis Free Lecture series, the Walden Woods Project, Monarch Meadows and EcoGardens, and Anne Sobol.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Crusading for a tree’s comeback

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Lincoln Agricultural Committee newsletter and is republished here with permission.

By Heather Anderson

On a wintry, sun-dappled day in Flint Field, a man wearing a trapper’s hat with ear flaps braves the cold to check on a young chestnut orchard. He has just left the warmth of a senior citizen luncheon at Lincoln’s Parish House where—with all the fervor of a southern tent revivalist—he preaches salvation every Friday.

He’s not a Bible thumper, mind you. Nor is he bent on saving our collective soul. Instead, Mark Meehl — known about town as the Chestnut Man — is on a passionate (some might say evangelical) mission to save the beloved American chestnut tree from the brink of extinction.

“The native tree is largely absent from our forest, and we want it back. So, we’re working on it,” says Meehl, a 73-year-old retiree from North Reading. He adds, “Why wouldn’t you want something back that belongs here? It was man’s fault for its demise.”

By tinkering with Mother Nature, Meehl and a cohort of self-described “chestnutters” are part of a national movement to develop a blight-resistant American chestnut tree. Led by The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF), it’s a decades-old pursuit. Meehl has been a TACF member since 2014. The goal? Restore the tree to its native forests from Maine to Alabama.

So far, the results have been underwhelming. But a new, genetically engineered, blight-resistant American chestnut tree called Darling 54 could save the day. Developed in an academic lab, Darling 54 is on the cusp of federal regulatory approval. In fact, 2026 could be a pivotal year for the American chestnut tree. “Because of modern genetic engineering, the future looks bright,” says Meehl.

This is a story about hope. And, quite possibly, rebirth.

Short history lesson

Once called the “redwoods of the east” for their height (up to 150 feet) and girth, the once mighty American chestnut tree was wiped out by an airborne fungal disease called blight, likely imported on trade ships from Asia in the late 1800s. The blight raged through America’s forests, killing about 4 billion trees by 1950, according to TACF.

Wildlife that depended on chestnuts as their winter food source starved. And an economy that relied on lumber — for cradles, coffins and everything in between — tanked. Historians consider it one of the worst ecological disasters in American history.

As for those chestnuts roasting on an open fire at Christmastime? A different species likely imported from Italy or China, Meehl explains. And those shiny, brown orbs used as ammunition in childhood chestnut fights? An invasive, non-edible (as in toxic) species called horse chestnuts.

Oh My Darling 54

Researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry developed Darling 54, claiming it could better resist chestnut blight. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a preliminary positive review last June, finding that the tree is “unlikely to pose a plant pest risk,” according to SUNY’s website.

But Darling 54 still awaits federal approval from the Food and Drug Administration (as chestnuts are a food) and the Environmental Protection Agency. All three prongs of government must declare it safe to humans and to the environment before pollen from these transgenic trees can be introduced to Lincoln’s orchard.

Mark Meehl checks on the American chestnut orchard at Flint Field. Meehl is the orchard manager in Lincoln as well as in several other towns statewide.

On a two-acre patch of town-owned conservation land in Flint Field, the young orchard was planted specifically in anticipation of breeding its trees with genetically engineered, blight-resistant pollen, Meehl explains. Started in 2021, the Flint Field Germplasm Conservation Orchard — GCO for short — is basically playing host to a national science project about transgenics.

Speckled with bluebird boxes, this fast-growing orchard is home to 400 wild American chestnut trees from diverse regional climates: 110 exclusively from Massachusetts; 230 from throughout New England, New Jersey and Maryland; and 60 from southern states such as South Carolina and Georgia. All trees are numbered, monitored, and catalogued in a TACF database managed by Meehl.

The reason for diversity? To see which region’s trees adapt best to the local environment in the face of climate change. The idea is to produce the hardiest trees, Meehl explains, and to capture their DNA.

If all goes well, he anticipates a high-volume, nut-producing orchard and, quite possibly, a controlled pollination with Darling 54 this summer.

But government deregulation isn’t the only hurdle. Those opposed to GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are readying for a fight.

“Anti-GMO people are poised and ready to attack deregulation of Darling 54 even though no harm to the environment or to food safety has been shown,” says Meehl, adding that the food fight between GMO and anti-GMO people has been going on for decades. “The same blight-tolerant gene is found in strawberries and bananas, available (for human consumption) every day.”

Louise Bergeron, a scientist and past chair of Lincoln’s Agricultural Commission, also highly anticipates transgenic deregulation. She belongs to a niche group of chestnut enthusiasts who host orchards on private land.

Unlike many GMOs, the blight-tolerant gene in Darling 54 is not a pesticide, explains Bergeron, who recently moved from Lincoln to Petersham where she plays host to a 110-tree germplasm orchard. The blight-tolerant gene “is naturally present in native plants and grains such as wheat.”

Ideologically, The American Chestnut Foundation is not against GMO technology, either. But the nonprofit foundation has reservations about Darling 54’s effectiveness and recently pulled its support. By contrast, Meehl—project manager for the chestnut foundation’s Massachusetts/Rhode Island chapter—is keeping the faith.

Who is Mark Meehl?

“I call him ‘Chestnut Man’ and everyone knows who I’m talking about,” says Lincoln’s Carol DiGianni, oftentimes his tablemate at Fridays’ senior center luncheon. “I planted two of his trees in hopes they’d marry” but they’ve yet to pollinate. “They’re growing surprisingly fast.”

(Botany 101: A plant’s mission in life is to produce a seed. Because chestnut trees do not self-pollinate, they need at least one nearby tree to exchange pollen and produce fertile nuts.)

Meehl, who holds a degree in zoology, is strictly a volunteer. He travels across the state—sometimes by motorcycle—spreading his enthusiasm. He lectures, educates, and gives away American chestnuts and saplings at churches, schools, libraries, and senior centers.

Thanks to Meehl, students at Birches School, a nature-based K-8 private school on Bedford Road, are likewise crusading for an American chestnut tree comeback. He enlisted them, along with Auxiliary Program Director Ken Clarkson, to help care for the trees in Flint Field.

“It’s a good educational tool for us,” says Clarkson in a phone call, adding that old town maps show chestnut fields existed right where the school stands now. “Every March, we check in with Mark to coordinate seed planting. We propagate them right here.”

By taking a hands-on role, says Clarkson, “it helps give kids hope in bringing back this ‘mighty giant’ that was one of the most important trees in the ecosystem.”

When he’s not proselytizing, Meehl maintains chestnut orchards in other “host” towns including Weston, Littleton and Westborough; as well as a second orchard in Lincoln. It sits on the former Umbrello family farmstead, located just beyond the railroad tracks that cross Route 117.

Started 23 years ago by violin teacher John Emery, it’s a much older breeding experiment and involves 100 hybrid trees. The hybrids are a cross between American and blight-resistant Chinese chestnut trees. It’s part of TACF’s Backcross Breeding Program intended to create “a variety as American as possible” while retaining the Asian blight-resistant trait, explains Meehl.

Some early-generation survivors of backcross breeding still stand in the Route 117 orchard and produce nuts. But several “ghost trees”—trees that have died and their trunks turned white—haunt the orchard. Meehl, who inherited the orchard, has replaced several dead trees with more hybrids.

But the effort seems more like holding vigil.

The Backcross Breeding Program is all but defunct. “It’s a shame,” says Meehl. “A lot of work, all for naught. …I think the transgenic approach is much better at moving the mission forward.”

But first, the trees in Flint Field must survive New England weather and wildlife.

Standing amongst the scrappy trees, Meehl points to deer damage caused by bucks rubbing antlers against the trunks. On another trunk, he notices a wart-like wound—called a canker—caused by blight.

But a prickly burr that once contained three coveted chestnuts clings to its branches. And the dying tree has sent up new root shoots from the soil.

In other words, the tree has done its job.

“Trees are smart enough to know they’re in trouble,” says Meehl, who believes trees talk to one another through their root systems. “This tree is putting up a good fight.”

Looking out over the orchard, Meehl smiles wide like a proud dad. Overall, he is pleased with what he sees. The trees “are coming along just fine,” he says. “They’re really healthy.”

He’s envisioning a fireworks display of chestnut flowers this summer. Late bloomers, American chestnut trees reach full bloom by July 4, but typically not before they’re five years old. This orchard is approaching its sixth year. About 15 trees blossomed last season. Meehl expects four times as many trees to flower this summer.

Meehl ducks into a car for warmth after a tour of the orchard. He offers up a brown, prickly burr. A souvenir. Asked why he has devoted his retirement to crusading for a tree’s comeback, Chestnut Man is quick to answer.

“Most people want to leave the world a little better, to do something good for Mother Nature,” he replies, adding, “It’s just a wonderful tree. It won’t grow back on its own without man’s help.”

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Farm folk tap into the sweetness of spring

From the March 22, 2026 Codman Community Farms member newsletter, republished with permission.

For the past many weeks, it’s been maple sugaring season in New England. While Codman Farm doesn’t run a commercial sugaring operation, we do participate in this seasonal celebration with an incredible group of dedicated volunteers leading the effort. The maple sugaring season comes on quickly and usually ends just as swiftly — so our volunteers need to be at the ready to tap the trees and begin the labor intensive process of hauling all the maple sap back to the farm for boiling down to syrup.

Our guest contributor this week is Stephen Hoenig, longtime Lincoln resident, former Codman Farm board member, and yes, Sap Head in Chief. Steve has been leading our sapping effort for many, many years and we are eternally grateful for his hard work, passion for sugaring, and his absolutely infectious positivity and good cheer. Here is his tale:

Exactly one month ago this afternoon (as of a few days go), I gathered our loyal “Sap Heads.” Together, we marched to our maple tree haven at Baker Bridge Road with spiles, buckets, lids, drills, and hammers in hand—to tap our sacred trees. Our mission: collect sap from the Sugar Maple trees and begin the transformation into maple syrup.

We knew that the rhythm of frigid nights and warm days changes the inner workings of a tree’s plumbing. A simple 2-inch hole drilled into a tree can yield 1–3 gallons of sap per day. So, on February 18th, about 20 of us — mostly children, along with a few adults — got to work. One strong 13-year-old Lincolnite powered a drill with a 5/16-inch bit into a tree while a classmate set the spile and tapped it firmly into place. Her younger siblings hung the bucket, another added the lid, and then they moved on together repeating the process across 39 more trees. The sap began to drip immediately. Many children (and adults) eagerly caught drops of the faintly sweet liquid in their mouths, as if it were falling from the heavens.

Our work had begun.

Each day, our team returned to the grove to gather sap and haul it to larger barrels. Even as two major snowstorms dropped 3–4 feet of snow, we pressed on — snowshoeing, skiing, and trudging through drifts, rarely missing a day. The cold, the early darkness, and the wind did not slow us down. Three dedicated women transported up to 100 gallons of sap at a time in the red Codman Farm pickup truck, hauling heavy barrels with laughter and determination — never a complaint, always a smile.

In total, we boiled 410 gallons of sap. Volunteers had previously chopped and stacked hardwood along the walls of the sugar shack, ready to fuel the fire. Another team kept the fire going and fed sap into the evaporator, concentrating it as clouds of steam filled the air. A Solo Stove helped keep us warm — along with a little wine, whiskey, and barbecued Codman sausage!

Because education is at the heart of Codman Farm, we welcomed about 40 students — young and old — during the final weekend. They visited the grove and the sugar shack and enjoyed pancakes topped with Codman maple syrup and homegrown bacon. We then capped it all off with pizza in the pavilion.

The boiling is now complete. Our hard-earned sap has been transformed into gallons of Codman “Liquid Gold,” carefully filtered and poured into 2-, 8-, and 24-ounce bottles. Soon, they will be available in our store or shared with the many hands who made this possible. Some will even find their way into creations from the Codman kitchen.

Wherever these bottles go, they carry the spirit of our community with them.

Thank you to our Sap Heads, who drilled, hung, collected, hauled, boiled, and smiled their way through the past month. Our syrup is the finest of the fine — and may your pancakes never be without it.

 

Codman farm plans to relocate and enlarge retail store

A sketch showing the current and future locations of the Codman store (click to enlarge).

In its last of its planned major capital projects, Codman Community Farms will relocated its farm store to a much larger space in an adjacent barn.

The store once occupied a corner of C barn and expanded to more of the barn during the pandemic, since it offered an open-air space with no cashiers. It will move to the front of B barn to the north. That space was used mainly for hay storage in past years, but is now used for general storage and operations for the farm store since the farm no longer offers retail sales of hay, said Caroline Fiore, CCF president. This will open up the main C barn again for community use.

“The improved Farm Store space will be designed in a way that honors the character of the historic barn while providing critical infrastructure updates,” Fiore said. One of the primary goals is providing an insulated, cli ate-controlled space for the store staff and customers as well as back-end operations and a multi-purpose work area for all Codman employees Farm store staff work in two different locations: B barn for storage and prep, and C barn for the retail space.

“Neither of these areas are conditioned, so staff are subject to the harshness of winter and the heat of summer. Our currently uninsulated space also creates issues for food storage, as extreme temperatures and conditions within the barn can impact food quality and increase spoilage,” Fiore said.

The farm is refining design plans for the project and working with local builders to obtain accurate cost estimates, she said. It will be funded by the farm using money raised for that purpose during its 50th anniversary capital campaign in 2023, as well as a recent $600,000 state grant. The hope is to begin construction in early 2026.

“The Farm Store relocation is the last remaining major capital project that’s part of our vision for multiyear infrastructure improvements,” Fiore said. Completed projects include new roof on the barns and solar power installation, a new septic system, a new commercial kitchen, farm house insulation, conversion to solar hot water systems, generator installation, driveway renovation and community courtyard, education pavilion, and renovation of restrooms.

Installation of a new sprinkler system, which has to be in place before work on the store can begin, is nearly complete. That project was funded with $400,000 from the town’s Community Preservation Act fund and $100,000 from CCF fundraising. For the store, the farm expects it will have to raise at least another $400,000 to supplement the state grant. The work may trigger the need for structural repairs and improvements and CCF may seek additional money from the town at some point, CCF board member Craig Nicholson told the Select Board earlier this month.

Library offers seeds of knowledge — and now real seeds as well

The Lincoln Public Library’s seed library (click image to enlarge).

The Lincoln Public Library lands all sorts of things in addition to books and music, but now it’s giving something away: seeds.

The “seed library” on the ground floor offers packets of seeks stored in old wooden card catalogue boxes, as well as a notebook with instructions from the original seed packets on planting each type (visitors can jot them down or take a picture with their phone of the pages of interest).

The seeds were donated by Weston Nurseries of Lincoln and Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland. The selection focuses on easier-growing garden plants, “which is why there is more of a focus on fruits and vegetables rather than flowers, as they can be a bit finicky,” said librarian Alison Armstrong, who organized the project after hearing interest from some patrons and noting the idea’s success at other libraries.

Even though libraries are usually in the business of offering things to use in the building, or lending things with an expectation that they’ll be returned, the seed library squares with the institution’s mission. “Above all, the work of the library is providing access to resources and information that patrons may not otherwise have been able to utilize,” Armstrong said. “By connecting with our community partners to establish the seed library, we’re able to facilitate access to people who may have always been interested in building their own garden, but were unable to do so for whatever reason.”

The most important piece, Armstrong continued, “is being able to provide the Lincoln community with a hands-on educational resource, which is at the core of our mission to focus on life-long learning and sharing new knowledge and ideas.”

LLCT installs new pollinator garden signs

The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust has installed five new signs at pocket pollinator gardens throughout town.

The signs (see photos below) were designed in 2023 by Amy Dorfman, a volunteer who worked with LLCT staff to create a template for permanent signage at LLCT’s pollinator sites. Dorfman had just finished a graduate certificate in environmental policy and international development from the Harvard Extension School and is now continuing with her master’s in environment and sustainability management at Georgetown University.

After visiting the pollinator sites in Lincoln, Amy created two sign templates that introduce passersby to the gardens and emphasize the importance of native plants, biodiversity, and connected habitat. She used photos to show different plant-insect interactions throughout the growing season and highlight nectar and pollen producing plants, as well as plants that serve as “hosts” for different insect species.

Once the signs were printed, Jane Layton, LLCT’s former stewardship coordinator, designed the sign posts and assisted LLCT seasonal interns Robert Killam and Joe Pariser with the installation process.

Although LLCT’s pollinator pathway lawn signs have served the gardens well and will continue to be used throughout Lincoln, they began to fade after a few years in the sun and don’t have any information on them about what the purpose of the gardens are. The new signs will be a permanent and informative way to welcome visitors to the gardens.

The project was funded in part with a grant from the Lincoln Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The grant funds will help cover more than half of the printing costs of the signs, and LLCT is grateful for the council’s generosity.

The new signs are at:

  • Lincoln Station near the Twisted Tree and Bank of America
  • Codman Community Gardens
  • Codman Road/Route 126 traffic island
  • Stony Brook trailhead on Route 117 at the Lincoln/Weston town line
  • LLCT Pollinator Meadow near the Smith School parking lot
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Eversource arborist explains roadside tree removal

One of several trees on Sandy Pond Road that’s been marked for removal.

Residents may have noticed temporary signs attached to numerous roadside trees in town that are being targeted for removal by Eversource. The town is required to hold a public hearing to invite comments or objections to removal of specific trees; it will take place on Wednesday, May 22 at 7 p.m. at the DPW office (30 Lewis St.). Anyone who can’t attend may email or call DPW Superintendent Chris Bibbo at bibboc@lincolntown.org or 781-259-8999 (he will read aloud the emailed comments at the hearing).

The Lincoln Squirrel asked Eversource Arborist Matthew Mitchell some questions about this process; here are his answers.

Why has Eversource not done this in Lincoln in several years?

A few aspects to this question. Our tree program is two-pronged; we have a trimming program and a removal program. The trimming program maintains space around the primary wires at the top of the electric poles, usually as close to 10 feet to the sides and bottom and 15 feet above as we can while following safety regulations and proper pruning practices. This program prunes each circuit every four to five years. There are several circuits in Lincoln that get pruned in different years, with a large Lincoln circuit having been pruned just last year. So we are around town regularly, even if the trimming work isn’t as dramatic as outright tree removal.

Our removal program is not cyclical and is a little more subjective. Circuits with recently poor outage rates are targeted, but we also try to do removal work on circuits that aren’t getting outages yet but in my opinion have a strong potential to see a spike in the future. We want to be removing potentially hazardous trees before they cause outages or cause a danger to general public safety. If I do my job correctly, nobody will have known there was a possible issue at all.

It has been a while since we have removed public trees in Lincoln, but last year we were fairly active in town removing hazard trees on private property. The motivation for this project happening now is that I think the Lincoln forest is aging out of a young forest into a more middle-aged one, and part of that process involves trees accumulating injuries or poor structure that make overall failure more likely. Tree injury, mortality, or failure is a natural part of the forest life cycle, and it is all well and good when it happens in the middle of the woods, but when these trees are situated next to power lines, sidewalks, and homes then human action is needed to intervene and prevent them from interrupting the power we depend on or causing property or bodily injury.

A specific issue in the Lincoln forest is that in the last few years, Lincoln has lost the majority of its ashes to emerald ash borer (EAB). This bug is an invasive species from eastern Asia and because our native ashes did not evolve alongside it, they do not have the evolutionary adaptations of Asian ashes. The beetle causes a near 100% fatality rate in native ash in any locality it has been introduced, and it is why when you go camping you will often see signage asking campers to not bring off-site wood for campfires as this is the beetle’s main avenue of spreading. Other than expensive pesticide treatments on individual large and significant trees, the only cure for EAB is preventing it from arriving. Ashes with EAB make up the single most common species on our Lincoln removal list.

What are the criteria for selecting trees to remove?

Circuits are profiled by our certified arborists to assess trees along the power lines for removal and then reviewed and edited by myself. Obviously, dead standing trees are immediately added. When the tree is still alive, it is visually assessed from root to shoot for signs of stress, poor stem structure that makes failure more likely, open or hidden rot cavities that could be a breakage point, the presence of tree pests that pose significant risk to the tree’s survival such as EAB (but there are others that affect more than just ashes), and overall form and vigor. The majority of non-undergrowth, larger diameter trees on the list are on there because I believe they are likely to fail in the short to mid term future and I would like to get them removed before they do.

I specified size in that last point because a lot of the trees on this list are small undergrowth trees. They are healthy in and of themselves, but they have been selected for removal because they are of a species that have characteristics that make them unsuitable to be located under the wires. Cherries and elms are the two most common. These species grow faster than average, sprout aggressively when they are pruned, and usually do not take to being pruned to grow out and around the wires but stubbornly keep trying to grow straight upwards. These trees are difficult for our pruning program to control and even when pruned to arboriculturally correct and healthy standards are frankly an eyesore. It is more effective to have them removed outright as well as improving the aesthetic of the roadway.

There is a small handful of healthy, moderately sized trees on the list that do not have significant biological or structural defects. They are on there because they are actively touching our primary lines which carry thousands of volts. If/when friction wears away the wire coating, these trees will cause an outage by catching fire themselves and potentially (although very unlikely) acting as an electrical conductor for anyone who happens to be touching the tree.

What’s the timeframe for removal?

It depends on the contractor’s workload from other areas Eversource services, but I expect work to begin a few weeks after the tree hearing

What happens to all the wood?

The logs will usually linger for a week or two as the log crew is a separate crew to the removal crew. Because the trees we are targeting are often unhealthy to begin with, there is not much value in their lumber. Usually they are given to facilities that process them into chips for resale or industrial use, sometimes the town wants the wood themselves for whatever reason. It depends on each of our contractor’s individual system and geographical location, and it is not a part of the process I am much involved in.

If any abutters to trees being removed would like to keep the logs themselves or if they want chips for organic mulch, that is also an option if they let us know. Chips are measured by the truckload or so, if anyone wants them they usually need to have a full-sized garden or several yard trees.

My Turn: A new dog in town

The following was included by Codman Community Farms farmer Pete Lowy in the February 2, 2024 e-newsletter to CCF members and is reprinted here with permission.

By Pete Lowy

This week we welcome our newest livestock guardian dog puppy to the farm! Introducing… POPPY the pup!

Why do we have a new puppy? I’m sure the next question is can folks pet it (no), and where is it (it’s a secret). Aww, that’s mean. It’s not meant to be! Our dogs are not pets, but rather working animals, so we try and give them the respect (and space) the need and deserve. But we do like folks to know the latest happenings on the farm so…read on!

We have a new pup, because our dearest, sweetest, most beautiful Sophie will soon be moving to South Carolina with Alyssa, our farm store manager. Yes, Alyssa will soon be leaving us too (her official goodbye letter will be coming soon), and yes she is adopting Sophie, much to her (and our) delight. They are best buds and while we are so happy for both of them — we are also simultaneously deeply saddened in our heart of hearts to see them leave us.

Poppy the puppy and Pete Lowy’s son Abe.

The short backstory on why we are saying goodbye to Sophie is that last year she developed a naughty habit. While always a great, and very sweet (if not a bit jumpy) livestock guardian dog, Sophie developed a habit of sneaking under the chicken fences and sometimes chasing down innocent dog walkers as they passed by the chickens on Codman South Field. This scared the bejesus out of many folks who were not expecting Sophie to dash through (or under) the fence line at full stride, while also barking like a raving lunatic at them. Now, Sophie is a sweetie and she never ever was aggressive in the biting sort of way and I’m sure she just felt she was doing her job – but these momentary outbursts of energy weren’t that fun for anyone to experience. We tried again and again to tighten up the fences and to train her to stop the antics but we were ultimately unsuccessful. The only way we found to keep her contained was by adding a single strand of very electrified fencing at the inside base of the fences. This works most of the time, but it’s much too time-consuming for us to manage daily and was only a stop-gap solution. In the end, we decided replacing Sophie was the best solution.

At the same time Sophie was displaying this maddening behavior, Alyssa also was starting to bond with her. Alyssa is an animal lover through and through and would often visit Sophie in the field — and they developed a strong love for one another. Alyssa was there for Sophie when she needed a little extra TLC for the occasional bug bite or other minor ailments from living outdoors, and Sophie learned to trust Alyssa deeply during these visits.

So, in the end, this is as good a resolution as one can find in this kind of circumstance. Livestock Co-Managers Aimee and Abby get to train a new livestock guardian dog – and Alyssa gets a new best friend to keep her company as she settles into her new farming life in South Carolina. And we couldn’t be happier that Sophie and Alyssa will have each other during their transition and that we also get to spread a little bit of our best peeps from Codman Farm down south. We will miss them so much!

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