Barnstable Residents Upset Eversource Cut Down 150 Trees
BARNSTABLE (CBS) - Work crews were busy grinding down tree limbs and removing branches along Route 6A in Barnstable Friday.
It's the latest phase of an ambitious maintenance project by Eversource. It's part of an effort to avoid a repeat of last winter's power problems created when trees came down on lines.
Since February, the utility has cut down 150 trees. They say it was on private property with homeowner permission.
But some town officials say Eversource never consulted them, and that the tree removal is a blight on an historic part of the Cape.
"It's downright ugly," says Barnstable Town Councilor John Flores. "There are federal and state's laws that allow Eversource to come in and maintain their lines, we understand that. But at the same time, we have a responsibility as elected officials and town stewards to be sure that we protect, if you will, the preservation of what has always been a very beautiful part of Cape Cod."
Eversource says it understands the concerns of the town, but indicates that the work had to be done. A spokesman told WBZ, "We work closely with town officials and homeowners to remove dangerous trees near our lines, many of which are in decline due to insect infestation or drought... As we've done numerous times in the past, we fully intend to work with the committee and the town to replace these dangerous trees with suitable species."
But town leaders and Cape Codders like Ann Canedy say steps need to be taken to give communities greater control over future tree cutting.
"If you cut down one tree here and there, there's not much of an impact" says Canedy. "But when you cut down whole swaths of trees especially in one area...it's such a visual impact it hits you right in your gut."