ASHFIELD — At least six maple trees have been cut down in Ashfield this winter, after an electricity company deemed them a hazard. Now, some residents are asking: were the trees salvageable?
The electricity provider responsible for the trees’ removal, Eversource, says it received permission from landowners to remove trees on their property. But some Ashfield residents, who noticed trees being removed on Baptist Corner Road, say they weren’t told about plans.
Eversource spokesperson Priscilla Ress said the company is removing a number of trees yet to be determined in Ashfield “through the spring” because they are “in decline” and may cause power outages. The town has already incurred a “significant number of tree-related outages,” Ress said.
“The work we’re doing is to protect the electrical system and the public from falling limbs and branches from trees that are in decline,” Ress said.
Six trees have been removed so far, Tree Warden Tom Poissant said Monday. Poissant agreed with Eversource’s assessment, saying the trees were aging and were at risk of falling onto the road or on power lines.
However, some residents at Monday’s Selectboard meeting weren’t so sure, saying the trees could’ve been saved by removing their dead-wood.
Linda Taylor noted that while homeowners have certain rights, the trees benefit Ashfield’s general aesthetic.
“It’s very much part of the character of our village,” Taylor said. “Thinking about businesses, town retail businesses – we can’t survive just on 1,800 people. We also have to have people come to town. We have a bit of tourist business that helps keep us afloat, and part of that is our beautiful, iconic New England village here, which the maple trees are part of. So, there is a value for all of us in town, to have those trees thrive.”
In Taylor’s view, the trees’ removal presents an opportunity to revise policies relating to tree removal.
Selectboard Chair Tom Carter encouraged residents to convene a “grassroots” group and come up with a plan – perhaps unaffiliated with the town to avoid “strings and chains” placed on such groups.
“I can’t promise the town would be able to match somebody that put $10,000 into the pot to buy trees, only to be at the expense of not being able to buy equipment for the fire department or the town voting the school budget down, or any of those things,” Carter said.
Ashfield native and maple-sugarer Gavin Scott expressed disappointment about the removal on Monday, estimating that 80 percent of the affected trees could’ve been saved. He wrote a letter to the Selectboard March 14 arguing that Eversource should have trimmed the trees instead of cutting them down completely.
“These trees were not endangering their lines, they were healthy and strong,” Scott wrote. “The fact that they are still standing is a testament to their strength against all the elements could throw at them for decades.”
Margaret Keith was similarly dismayed by the tree removal, saying she cried about the losses and wanted to hold a candlelight vigil to acknowledge the fallen trees.
“My daughter is a forester, and she said, ‘what in God’s name did they think they were doing, having that tree and that one,’ Keith said. “There was no need to cut at least two of them.”
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.