Town Manager Halts Tree Trimming

Town Manager Brian Sullivan has ordered NStar to stop trimming the trees in town.

In recent months, Nstar's tree trimming in town has become a huge problem in town and in April, Sullivan met with NStar to discuss options.

There are laws in Arlington regarding "tree removal" but not tree "trimming." To have a tree removed from one's property there must be a public hearing, but since there is no law regarding trimming a lot of confusion has ensued as to what is permissible.

Back in April, Jim Dodge, Arlington's tree warden, said he must approve any tree trimming that goes on in the town. Dodge says tree trimming crews should ask for property owner's permission before trimming.

"As a courtesy, these crews should ask for permission from property owners before they do any trimming," Dodge said. "If the owner does not give their consent then the crew can not trim."

Homeowners like Teresa Spangler, who has cared for the Elm tree on her property, say they have felt their needs were ignored when Nstar came by last April. "In my experience, the trimming stops when a property owner asks them to," Spangler said. But this time it was different.

According to Spangler, the work crew was very loud with their heavy equipment which included two cherry-picker trucks, chainsaws and a wood chipper all running at once.

This is not the first time Spangler had a run in with a tree trimming company. Previously, a crew from the company came to trim the tree but this crew stopped their work when she told them to. This time, Spangler said the detail police officer informed her that the crew could legally trim around NStar's poles.

Back in April Mark Chandler, supervisor at Lucas Tree Trimming, the company Spangler met on her property, said his company had a contract with NStar to do the trimming around the utility company's power lines. 

"We (Lucas Tree Trimming) work within the specifications given to us by NStar regarding trimming around power lines," Chandler said in April.

Lucas Tree Trimming follows the specifications of NStar about keeping trees away from their power lines as well as local laws. According to Chandler NStar requires that there be open space 8 feet from the sides of the power lines and 12 feet above.

This month, Sullivan has asked that they cease all together

"The town has continued to receive many angry complaints concerning NStar's abuse of private property and public shade trees," Sullivan said in his letter to NStar forbidding any further trimming until after they convince him it will be done in a respectful way.

"No further tree trimming work may be done in the Town of Arlington by NStar or its contractors until I have been assured that appropriate standards will be followed and proper respect shown for town and private property," he said.