To the Editor:

I am a firm supporter of measured tree trimming and removal to ensure reliable electrical distribution. Unfortunately, the current activity along the Castle Hill, Great Hill, and Plumtrees Roads corridor is an overreaction.

During the past decade, most of Newtown’s once abundant ash trees have been killed by invasive insects. As a first-responder, I have seen firsthand how often these dead ash trees have taken down power lines and blocked our roadways. For some reason, many of these dead and dying trees were overlooked during the last tree trimming cycles. As a result, we had numerous tree and wire down events along this corridor. We need a sharper focus by Eversource on dead and dying trees near power lines.

The current clear-cutting on both sides of the power lines is an overreaction to this problem. Healthy, trimmed hardwood trees 30 feet away and not leaning toward the power lines are not a credible threat. We are losing too many of these magnificent giants.

In addition to their natural beauty, these giants have been absorbing carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere for generations. This, of course, will stop and the tons of carbon stored in the tree’s biomass will be prematurely released back into the environment. Much of that carbon will return to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide through combustion and decomposition. This contributes to the ongoing climate change and extreme weather events.

The invasive plants that will surely overtake many of these clear-cut areas do not have the carbon dioxide absorption capacity of the hardwoods.

My message to Eversouce is simple: stop the clear-cutting and focus on the dead and dying trees during your tree trimming cycles.

Regards,

Kirk Blanchard

Newtown