Taunton Lane—

Tree Warden To Review Tree Removal Plans

 By Andrew Gorosko

In view of some Taunton Lane area residents’ misgivings about the town’s plan to remove 91 deciduous trees from alongside Taunton Lane, the tree warden plans to tour the area with those people to reconsider which trees should be removed.

The residents hope to persuade the tree warden not to remove that many trees in order to preserve the area’s scenic value.

Town officials maintain that the planned tree removal is a public safety project, which would create six-foot-wide cleared areas along both sides of the relatively narrow Taunton Lane.

Fourteen residents concerned about the tree removal project met with town officials at a public hearing on the night of Friday, May 28, at Town Hall South. Six of those residents live on Taunton Lane. A majority of the remainder lives on streets in that general area.

Taunton Lane is a residential road about 3,000 feet long. The street has about 20 addresses. It links Taunton Hill Road to Mt Pleasant Road.

Representing the town at the session were Tree Warden Mike McCarthy, Public Works Director Fred Hurley, and Town Engineer Ronald Bolmer. Mr McCarthy said the hearing was held in response to questions about the project from residents Gordon and Sandy Anderson.

Mr McCarthy told the residents the trees must come down because some of them are dead and others are dying. Some of trees are leaning into the roadway, and vehicles have struck others that are close to the road, he added.

A majority of the trees marked for removal are on the east side of the street. Trees to be removed range from two inches in diameter to 30 inches in diameter. There is a mix of deciduous species marked for cutting, including ash, maple, and birch. The town has put the tree-removal project out to bid. Those bids are scheduled to be opened on June 7.

Mr McCarthy acknowledged that Taunton Lane is a scenic area, but added that the area’s scenic aspect would remain intact following a tree removal project. Only 11 of the trees to be cut have no trees standing behind them, he said.

Mr McCarthy noted that the trees marked for removal stand in front of stone walls, so that when the trees are removed, those stone walls would become more visible to motorists.

Mr Bolmer said the town’s road design criteria require that roadways such as Taunton Lane have at least six-foot-wide cleared areas along both sides of the road.

One resident asked whether the town would be repositioning the utility poles situated alongside the street as part of its public safety project, considering the safety hazards posed by the presence of such poles.

Mr McCarthy said the town does not have the authority to change the location of utility poles.

Mr Bolmer acknowledged that utility poles pose a hazard, but are outside the town’s jurisdiction.   

“We eliminate as many objects in our [town] right-of-way [as possible] as are hazardous,” he said.

“We just want a clear roadside. That’s what we strive for,” he said.

Town snowplow drivers have long complained about the closeness of trees to Taunton Lane, he said. “We identified this [situation] a number of years ago,” he said. The presence of trees alongside roadways poses legal liability issues for the town, he said.

‘Extreme And Unwarranted’

Donald Collier of 93 Birch Hill Road, who raised concerns recently about the planned removal of 91 trees, said that healthy trees that are standing alongside the road should not be removed.

Mr Collier, a conservationist, has charged that the planned removal of 91 trees is “extreme and unwarranted.” He has urged that many fewer trees be removed to preserve the area’s scenic value. He has said it would be acceptable to limit tree removal to 18 to 27 trees.

Mr Collier, who is a member of the town’s Conservation Commission, has stressed that his opposition to the tree removal project is as an individual, not as a Conservation Commission member.

Mr Collier said there is local concern about preserving the town’s “rural character,” which would be accomplished by limiting the tree removal along Taunton Lane.

Pat Collier, Mr Collier’s wife, asked what would prevent the town from removing trees alongside Taunton Hill Road after it removes trees from Taunton Lane.

“Somehow, or other, some type of compromise could be worked out on this,” Ms Collier said of the Taunton Lane tree removal plans.

It seems as if the town is working at cross-purposes in simultaneously advocating preserving the town’s rural character, while embarking on a tree removal project, she said. People are attracted to Newtown due to its rural qualities, she stressed.

Mr Hurley said the presence of trees alongside roads poses liability issues for the town. When tree work is done in a given area, that work is expected to be thorough, he said.

Mr Hurley said he appreciates the concerns expressed by residents about the Taunton Lane tree removal project. “If it was our neighborhood, we would feel the same way,” Mr Hurley said.

“It seems unfair…We have very mixed feelings about this…Nobody likes change…It puts us in a very awkward position,” Mr Hurley said.

Mr Bolmer said the town wants to remove trees that lie between the edge of the pavement and the adjacent parallel stone walls that lie along both sides of the street.

Mr McCarthy said he expects the town will grind the tree stumps that remain after tree removal.

One resident pointedly asked the three town staff members why 91 trees need to be removed from along Taunton Lane. The resident acknowledged that there are trees along the street that pose real public safety hazards, but asked why so many trees must be removed.

Mr Hurley responded that the street has been on a list of sites earmarked for tree work for a long time. “It’s not being singled out for any bad reasons,” he said.

Asked whether he would compromise on the number of trees to be removed, Mr McCarthy initially said he would not. He later said he would be willing to look at specific trees along the road, which he has marked for removal, and would reconsider whether they should be removed.

“I would be willing to meet with you,” he said in agreeing to tour the area with the residents. But, he added, “The majority of the trees that are marked should be coming down.”

Mr McCarthy plans to meet with the concerned residents at 31 Taunton Lane at 8 am Sunday, June 6. They will then tour the area where tree removal is planned.