William Greeley of Deep River does not mince words when asked about his request that The Day examine the state’s highway tree-cutting practice as part of our CuriousCT reader engagement feature.

“You mean the tree slaughter,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Greeley was more diplomatic in the question he submitted to our request for story ideas: “Why is there clear cutting of trees along CT roads and highways?” he wrote.

State Department of Transportation tree cutting seemed to target eastern Connecticut this spring, with extensive work on highways in the region. But Department of Transportation spokesman Josh Morgan said it’s all part of ongoing statewide work.

“There’s not one community or one part of the state where we’re not doing this kind of work,” Morgan said.

Greeley said cutting stretched well beyond roadsides, even where no utility lines or poles were threatened. He called it “maddening” that the DOT ruined his pleasant commute to work along scenic Route 149 in East Haddam. In fall, he said, it was a blaze of color.

“The once tree-lined and canopied Connecticut roads and highways are mostly barren of trees these days, and it’s noticeably getting worse,” Greeley wrote in his CuriousCT submission. “If logic was to protect electric infrastructure, I might understand, but it goes way beyond that thought. Roadways, and long stretches of highway without any power lines have been clear cut well beyond the roadsides.”

Traffic delays

Tree cutting along Interstate 395 snarled traffic this spring. Crews also cut trees along I-95 from the Rhode Island border through North Stonington. More cutting was done from Exits 70 to 74 in connection with the reconstruction of Exit 74 in East Lyme.

Tree cutting along narrower two-lane state routes through the region also elicited criticism.

Greeley and Gary Piszczek, chairman of the Preston Conservation and Agricultural Commission, objected to tree cutting along scenic Route 149 in East Haddam and Route 164 in Preston.

The Preston Conservation Commission sent a three-page letter to the commissioners of DOT and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection asking for better communication with towns where cutting is planned and to respect the community’s character.

“While the Preston Conservation Commission does not disagree that diseased and dying trees need to be removed,” Piszczek wrote, “we strongly disagree with a policy that ignores the fact that roadside trees in good health have a part in creating a sense of community, and therefore need to be looked on as an asset, not as a nuisance.”

DOT spokesman Morgan said the DOT’s top priority is safety. The DOT uses a 31-page 2021 Vegetation Management Plan as a guide for highway cutting, storm response and roadside mowing.

A section on scenic roads stipulates that cutting planned along the state’s 73 designated scenic roads be approved by the Scenic Roads Advisory Committee. The committee includes members from the DOT and other state agencies.

State tree cutting is done to clear sight lines for motorists, remove overhanging limbs and trees and bring more sunlight onto pavement to speed up snow and ice melting, the plan states.

Creating “clear zones”

Along interstates where there are no guardrails, such as long stretches of I-395, the DOT tries to create a “clear zone” 30 feet wide from the edge of the pavement.

Morgan said clear zones allow space for a vehicle out of control to come safely to a stop off the road, and provide safer space for drivers with vehicle problems to stop rather than in the breakdown lane.

“Hitting a 6-inch diameter tree is like hitting a brick wall,” Morgan said.

From 2020 through 2022, Morgan said, 72 people died on state roads after being struck by falling trees or limbs or crashing into trees.

“So really, this is about safety, trying to improve motorist safety,” Morgan said.

He said several years ago, any strong wind or rainstorm could force the Merritt Parkway, a nationally designated scenic road, to shut down due to downed trees.

DOT cutting also targets invasive vines, such as bittersweet, that choke and damage trees, and clears many dead and dying trees, ravaged by invasive insects. The emerald ash borer has killed most ash trees in the state.

Consecutive years of spongy moth caterpillar infestation, formerly called gypsy moth caterpillars, weakened and killed oaks, maples and evergreens.

“In our rest areas throughout the state, we have signs that say: ‘See it, squash it,’ for the spotted lantern fly,” Morgan said of another invasive insect.

In the 2022-23 state fiscal year, the DOT spent $3.4 million on tree cutting in its 51-town eastern Connecticut District 2, including $1.34 million for contractors and $2.07 million for DOT labor.

Contractors keep the lumber, chipping and spreading much of it on site or hauling away large amounts. Large tree logs are hauled away, some sent to sawmills, Morgan said.

The Preston Conservation Commission had requested the DOT replant cut areas along scenic roads with native species. But Morgan said the DOT does not have a budget or staff for that. The vegetation management plan calls for mowing of roadsides.

Conservation Commission Chairman Piszczek and Greeley both questioned the logic of the DOT tree-cutting plan. Greeley said the state should put up guardrails rather than create 30-foot clear zones to keep out-of-control vehicles from striking trees.

Piszczek said most of the trees along scenic Route 164 in Preston were deciduous, with no leaves in winter that would block sunlight from the pavement.

In letters to the state and in interviews with The Day, Preston officials said they have received much better communication this spring with Eversource, which also is doing extensive power infrastructure work in the region.

First Selectwoman Sandra Allyn-Gauthier sent a letter to the state supporting the Conservation Commission’s stance. She said Eversource provides a plan each year and a contact person for the in town.

“It would be nice to have some collaboration,” Allyn-Gauthier said.

Preston officials said they were not consulted on the Route 164 cutting, but Morgan said DOT notifies chief elected officials and nearby property owners in writing prior to “vegetation management safety improvements.”

Vegetation management plan

Eversource was strongly criticized in years past for extensive tree damage to utility infrastructure in major storms that caused long power outages.

Eversource spokeswoman Jamie Ratliff said the utility has a “robust and comprehensive” vegetation management plan in its service areas. The utility patrols about a quarter of all overhead power lines in the state each year, trimming encroaching vegetation, identifying, and addressing hazardous trees that could damage electrical equipment.

“Trees are responsible for up to 90% of power outages during storms,” Ratliff wrote in an email to The Day, “and tree trimming is one of the most cost-effective solutions to strengthening the electric grid. Deciding to remove a tree is based on its condition, how close it is to overhead electric lines and the impact on the system if it fell.”

Eversource aims for at least 8 feet of side clearance for distribution lines; 10 feet below and 15 feet above wires. Clearance for transmission lines depends on voltage, with at least 25 feet required for lower voltage lines and a minimum of 35 feet for lines greater than 200 kV, Ratliff said.

In eastern Connecticut, Eversource is doing scheduled maintenance on transmission lines, including removal of “incompatible species,” Ratliff said, including tall growing trees and shrubs. Removing that growth improves electrical system reliability and helps low-growing native species.

Eversource gives written notice to towns where work is planned and must obtain town permits for tree work done in a town right-of-way. The utility notifies customers in advance of planned tree work on their property or an abutting property.

“Before any tree trimming or removal is done near distribution lines, we require written consent from the property owner, unless a tree is in direct contact with the power lines or showing signs of burning,” Ratliff wrote in the email. “Our arborists work together with town officials and tree wardens on all vegetation management projects in their community.”

Norwich Public Utilities prides itself on its electrical reliability record, which has been recognized by state and local officials following major storms. NPU spokesman Chris Riley said customers have expressed appreciation for efforts to expand NPU’s tree-trimming program.

Each year, NPU trims about 10 miles of overhead lines in Norwich, with a budget of $420,000 this year. NPU’s goal is to create 10 feet of clearance “all the way around the lines,” NPU General Manager Chris LaRose said, and to clear anything dead or of concern above the lines.

NPU patrols all lines every year but does not trim all areas each year.

NPU hired contractor Asplundh, which deploys two crews of two workers each to Norwich throughout the year, Riley said. The work is monitored by NPU’s general line foremen and the electric division manager.

“Over the past three years, we have been very pleased with the quality of this work and the company’s safety performance has been excellent,” Riley said in an email to The Day. “As a result of this investment, NPU customers typically experience fewer and shorter outages than customers of an investor-owned utility.”

c.bessette@theday.com

Tree cutting operations in Eastern Connecticut, 2023-2024

Plainfield I-395 I-695 to Route 14 Yr. 2023 100% completed

North Stonington I-95 Rhode Island line to Exit 90 Yr. 2023 100% Completed

Mansfield/Windham Route 6/66 Route 66 to Route 6 Yr. 2023 100% completed

North Stonington I-95 Exit 90 to Rhode Island Line Yr. 2023 100% Completed

Old Lyme/East Lyme I-95 Exit 70 to Exit 74 Northbound & Southbound Yr. 2023 100% Completed

Norwich/Montville I-395 Exit 11 to Exit 18 Northbound & Southbound Yr. 2023 100% completed

East Lyme/Waterford I-395 Exit 2 to Exit 5 Yr. 2023 100% completed

Norwich/Montville I-395 Exit 11 to Exit 5 Yr. 2024 0% Complete

Old Saybrook/Haddam Route 9 Exit 1 to Exit 18 Northbound & Southbound Yr .2024 0% Complete

East Lyme/Thompson I-39 5 Exit 1 to Exit 53 Northbound & Southbound Yr. 2024 0% Complete

Clinton/Stonington I-95Exit 62 to Exit 93 Northbound & Southbound Yr. 2024 0% Complete

Norwich/Marlborough Route 2 Exit 29 to Exit 12 Eastbound & Westbound Yr. 2024 0% Complete

Griswold/Preston *Route 164 Route 138 to Route 2 Yr. 2023 100% Complete

Lebanon *Route 87 Route 207 to Route 66 Yr. 2023 100% Complete

Voluntown/Sterling Route 49 North Stonington town line to Route 14A Yr. 2023 85% Completed

Mansfield Route 89 From Route 195 to Route 44 Yr. 2023 80% Completed

Essex- Haddam Route 154 From Route 9 to Route 82 Yr. 2023 75% Completed

Ledyard Route 214 From Route 2 South to Route 117 Yr. 2023 40% Completed

East Haddam Route 434 Devils Hopyard thru Mount Parnassus Yr.2023 20% Completed

North Stonington *Route 49 From SR 616 to Voluntown town line Yr.2023 20% Completed

Lebanon *Route 289 Route 87 to Windham Yr. 2024 0% Completed

*Eversource project