WENDELL – The town’s tree warden got permission this week to authorize National Grid’s removal of trees he believes will fail within a year along Wendell Depot, Lockes Village and Locke Hill roads
The Wendell Selectboard gave the nod to Cliff Dornbusch to have National Grid take down any sugar maples he deems structurally unsound. Ryan Kress, an arborist with National Grid, has identified 164 dead, dying or structurally dangerous trees he suggests be eliminated. But Dornbusch said he will allow National Grid to remove fewer than 100 high-priority trees as part of its Hazard Tree Mitigation Program, which would cost the town no money. He said Kress’ criteria were trees with a five-year risk of failure.
“My criteria is more about what is imminent, within the year,” Dornbusch said. “So we have more time to address the (other) trees in question on a larger scale.”
Dornbusch said he intends to designate specific trees within a week. National Grid, he said, will begin removing the trees within two to three weeks of having them identified.
Dornbusch told Selectboard members National Grid will deliver the cut trees to a wood bank. He said New Salem’s wood bank — a place where people who heat their home with a woodstove can get free cord wood resulting from tree clearing — is in the process of getting a new home, which Dornbusch predicts will happen within the next couple of weeks.
A public hearing was held in late September to give residents an opportunity to have their voices heard on the removal process. Several people attending virtually or in person objected to Kress’ criteria for pegging trees for the chopping block and were disappointed so many were labeled for removal. There are three trees that Kress recommends trimming in addition to the 164 he picked for elimination. Of the 167 trees on Kress’ list, 106 are on Wendell Depot Road, 49 are on Lockes Village Road and 12 are on Locke Hill Road.
Kress noted all the trees on his list are owned by the town and cannot be removed without Dornbusch’s permission. He said he has no interest in removing healthy trees. The public hearing was contentious at times, with maple sugarer Dan Boyden challenging Kress’ statement that experts predict that weather changes will result in virtually no surviving sugar maples in the United States in 20 to 50 years. Boyden also objected when Kress said people in town don’t water trees, even during a drought.
Dornbusch plans to hold a second hearing after National Grid removes the ones he identifies as being in imminent danger of falling. He said he hopes the removal of trees undoubtedly failing will result in a more conducive second hearing.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.