Readers on ‘heart wrenching’ lost canopies, tree stumps

We love our trees. But some of them are dangerous; they might fall on us or on our homes. What do we do? It requires a careful balancing act.

After I wrote about the recent proposals by The United Illuminating Co. to remove seemingly healthy trees in my East Rock neighborhood of New Haven, I heard from many residents of other areas.

These people are not happy.

Catherine Mathieu, of West Haven, described her experience trying to save trees in her neighborhood as “heart wrenching.”

In her email to me she began by noting the many benefits of trees: “The shade they provide keeps electric bills down in the summer (which are getting noticeably hotter due to global warming, so bills are increasing significantly), they help with erosion, they beautify an area, they clean the air, etc.”

Like me, Mathieu spotted a tree company truck on her street and asked the man in the truck what was happening. “I discovered the intent to clear trees in my neighborhood. I expressed my upset about those actions and asked for contact information to discuss the situation with the company.”

Mathieu said she then spent months “working on saving the trees,” including speaking with West Haven officials. She also wrote a letter to the New Haven Register, which was published on our letters to the editor page.

But after all that, she said: “They took down seven out of 11 trees on my street alone. For months I woke to the sound of chain saws daily, all day. It was an extremely upsetting time for me.”

For the record, UI has said it is addressing threats

George Sincavage / Contributed photo George Sincavage, of Washington Avenue, West Haven, has concerns about this tree.