In the town of Cummington lies Brickhouse Road, an unpaved street lined with sugar maple trees on each side that leads to the William Cullen Bryant Homestead, a registered National Historic Landmark. The scenic location is something of a point of pride for local residents and has inspired several artists traveling through the area.
“It just takes my breath away,” said Beckie Kravetz, who lives nearby. “It’s so beautiful.”
That view however, has been tarnished along a certain stretch of road after several trees on a single side were cut down by a subcontractor working on behalf of the utility company Eversource, part of what some residents say is a pattern of unclear communication and mismanagement when it comes to tree-cutting around utility poles in the town to prevent potential power cuts.
Town officials say the trees on Brickhouse Road were on town property, and were cut down without the town’s knowledge. The subcontractor had an agreement with the bordering property, a farm, but had no agreement with the town to cut down the trees along Brickhouse Road. Residents began texting each other to provide information on what was going on in the area.
Steven Schiff, who lives on the road, was one of several who raised alarm about what crews were doing to the area.
“It was really done without any kind of regard for the environment, or to the people who live here, to the people who are in town government and deserve to be consulted,” he said.
Select Board Chairman Kenneth “Trudge” Howes said that he met with Eversource following the incident, and that the company has agreed to plant new trees in the area. He said that other than the trees on Brickhouse Road, the town has not had any issues regarding tree cutting.
“We’re just trying to look forward with what’s going to happen going forward,” Howes said. “We’re doing our best to resolve a bad situation.”
Town property isn’t the only kind where these issues have arisen. Local homeowners said they’ve also had to deal with trees being cut on their property without permission.
Nearby resident Frank Philbrick said he awoke one morning two months ago to a man with a clipboard at his door asking about a tree on his property. Philbrick said he believed the tree would be pruned, and that the man did not mark any of the trees for when the cutting crew would arrive. Philbrick specifically asked for the tree not to be cut, but when he arrived home it was lying on the ground.
“That was the first time I was aware there was just a lack of communication in this company,” he said. “And I’m not the only aggrieved homeowner.”
Dozens of local residents, including Kravetz, Philbrick and Schiff, have taken the issue before the Select Board and Planning Board.
Howes said that in response to the complaints, a general survey is being sent out to residents where they can fill out any information regarding trees that have been damaged on their property, what type of tree, and information on the nearest utility pole. The form is available online on the town’s website.
“We’re sending out a private mailing to every resident,” Howes said. “For people who don’t have internet or can’t use the computer, the forms are at the community house to fill out.”
Priscilla Ress, a spokeswoman for Eversource, said no further work was planned for the Cummington area.
“We have heard and understand the concerns of local citizens,” she said. “Our vegetation management team is actively engaged with town officials in reviewing the recent work and planning restoration and mitigation like replanting.”
For Kravetz, the issue signals a bigger problem regarding state laws regarding how companies can take down trees, and a lack of penalties if they do flout the law. In the wake of issues such as climate change, the laws may require an update.
“I think going forward, climate assessment or environmental impact has to be part of the picture,” she said.
Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.
