Gov. Lamont, Neighbors Cited For Unauthorized Removal Of Trees: Report

GREENWICH, CT —Over 180 trees were illegally cut down on land behind Gov. Ned Lamont's home in Greenwich last November, according to a report from Greenwich Time.

The cutting, which also included the removal of many bushes and other vegetation, spanned 1,200 feet and occurred without permits in wetlands, the Time noted, adding that the work appeared to be done to open up a view from the Lamont home and his neighbors, the Viks, to a nearby pond.

Cutting also crossed over onto a property (148 Glenville Road) owned by INCT LLC, according to town documents.

While town documents don't specifically state who ordered the cutting, they do show the Lamonts, Viks and the Ashton Drive Association were issued cease-and-correct orders last November. The Time also said they were cited for wetlands violations.

Four applications to restore what was cut down on the parcels of land were on the agenda for public hearing for the March 25 Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency's meeting, and the application for 148 Glenville Road was heard and discussed at length.

During that meeting, Fred Jacobsen, a property director for the INCT LLC property, recounted the day he discovered the cutting on Nov. 10, 2023.

"I responded because I heard the sound of chainsaws. When I walked down to the property from the main house, what I came across was a massive cutting effort," Jacobsen told the agency, noting that it looked like it had been ongoing for days. He said there was a plywood path laid out to provide access for trucks and a woodchipper, and access was provided from the Vik property.

"When I came down to the land, the entire group started running from the area and grouping up to leave the premises," Jacobsen added. He called the Greenwich Wetlands Department, but because it was the weekend of Veterans Day, there were limited office hours. He was directed to call the Greenwich Police Department, who responded and took a report.

Greenwich Director of Environmental Affairs Beth Evans said the activity was "trespassing," but no charges have been filed, the Time reported.

"This was a massive undertaking... They did it purposefully, they hid trees behind stone walls, they limbed trees to open up the views. It looks like the views are opened up from the Lamont house and from the Vik house, and that there was a coordinated effort to open up those views down to the lake," Jacobsen said.

"Vik had cutting in the wetlands, Lamont had cutting in the wetlands. Whether it was willing or not, whether they gave their permission, well, they gave permission to do something that is breaking unpermitted work in the upland wetlands and directly in a gulch which is feeding into the Indian Spring Lake," Jacobsen added.

Jacobsen said the cutting "went far beyond the destruction to the wetlands vegetation. It was a coordinated destruction of the entire ecosystem in that area." He demanded that the perpetrators restore the entire area as closely as possible to the way it was.

Three other applications related to the cutting are set to be heard before the Greenwich IWWA during a special meeting on April 29. Greenwich Time said potential fines will be discussed then.

Lamont's office and the attorney who represents the Ashton Drive Association could not be reached for comment Thursday.

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