ATHOL — The removal of trees that have stood along New England roadsides for many years always generates a fair amount of interest. At the Athol Selectboard meeting on Tuesday, May 3, town officials discussed the need to fell a couple of large trees on Walnut Street.
Assistant Department of Public Works Director Paul Raskevitz and Cemetery, Park and Trees Foreman Mark Summers told the board the trees needed to come down for safety reasons. Raskevitz and Summers also serve as the town’s tree warden and assistant tree warden, respectively.
Raskevitz said removal of the trees, which abut 57 Walnut St., would help to facilitate the final phase of Walnut Street reconstruction, which is being paid for with a Community Development Block Grant.
“In order for us to remove them,” said Raskevitz, “we held a hearing to go over all the finer points with anyone who had any questions or concerns, and we received two written objections. Well, now that we received two written objections, Mass General Law says we have to go the selectboard or mayor, depending on the form of government.”
He then provided the board with the rationale for dropping the trees.
“The town would like to remove those trees due to the fact that we’re doing that project and we’re going to be trenching on both sides (of the street), removing the existing sidewalk, the existing curb, adding water and sewer — drainage has already been done.
“In my opinion, we’re going to compromise the root structure of those trees and the stability of those trees. They’re large — 49½ inch, and one is 50 ½ inch — silver maples. Those trees require a lot of water. Their roots don’t generally go down below 12 to 18 inches. And if you look right now, they’re in what we would call a tree belt. The root flares have pretty much taken over the entire tree belt.”
The roots, said Raskevitz, have caused damage to both the curb and the sidewalk.
“In order for us to do the project,” he continued, “we’re going to have to remove all that. And, in my opinion, we’re going to create a severe hazard by leaving those trees, and they’re going to end up dying. If they don’t topple over, they’re going to die.
“And now we’re going to have a project that’s 95 percent completed, five percent not completed because of those trees, and they’re going to be dead anyway. But my main concern is that they’re going to topple over. They’re large and we’re going to take a large portion of the stability away by the excavation.”
Board Vice Chair Rebecca Bialecki asked about details of the written objections.
Raskevitz said a pair of neighbors wrote that the trees “provide shade, they provide a cooling effect, and they also provide habitat for the great horned and screech owls.”
Another resident wrote, according to Raskevitz, that the trees never should have been planted there in the first place.
“Is there any ability to replace those trees when the work is done?” aske Bialecki.
“If you look at the section we did a little further down on Walnut Street,” Raskevitz replied, “that project required us to remove two trees … and we put seven trees back in. For this section, I believe the plans call for five trees going back in, but there are wires on that side of the road, so we’re probably not going to put in large, spreading trees. There’s a park on the other side and we did add some trees there.”
The owner of the property abutting the two trees marked for cutting, Ryan Williams, urged the board to approve the plan.
“For many years, the house was owned by my grandfather before me,” said Williams. “Over the years we were told by the town, ‘The trees were dangerous, the trees were going to be removed — it’s just not in the budget for this year. We’ll get to it next year.’ And they’re still there.
“As this project came up, I became very excited because the trees mess with my retaining wall, they push up against my foundation, the roots grow all through my yard.”
Williams told the board he preferred to see small trees that don’t interfere with the utility wires.
“Right now, there’s a plastic sheet over one of the wires because a year and a half ago it just arced — it was arcing up against the branches. So, for me, as the one being right there, I’d really like to see these trees removed.”
The removal of the trees was approved by the board on a unanimous vote.