More than 60 trees will be cut down by Eversource
DARIEN — After more than a year of negotiations, Eversource has the go ahead to take down dozens trees on Darien land in an agreement that seemingly pleases no one.
Come next March, Eversource will cut down 62 trees in Darien running along high-voltage transmission lines, part of an 18-mile corridor of clear cutting from Greenwich through Westport.
According to an Eversource spokesperson, 14 of the 18 miles have been completed so far. The company also announced plans to expand clear cutting across 12 more towns in the state, spanning an estimated 4,000 miles.
The agreement between Darien and Eversource marks the end of mediation over how many trees the energy company could remove on town property.
Only 10 trees were preserved of the 72 Eversource requested to be cut down along Little Brook Road, which runs concurrent to the railroad tracks and transmission lines. The company originally requested that nearly 100 trees be removed.
As part of the agreement, Eversource will take on replanting the area along Little Brook Road by adding new plants and trees that will not exceed 15 feet in height. The company will be responsible for the new growth over a two-year period.
First Selectman Monica McNally called the settlement a “middle ground,” addressing Eversource’s need to remove trees while putting in place a “robust” replanting and maintenance plan.
“We spent many, many sessions in mediation working through this and paying really a great deal of attention to the detail,” she said. “We’ve done everything we possibly can to set this new plan up for success.”
Sean Redding, Eversource manager of vegetation management, said the level of pushback from the town’s residents was not a usual occurrence for Eversource, delaying the company’s plans.
Similarly, Greenwich underwent mediation with the energy company when the town’s tree warden ruled that only two trees could be removed of the 29 Eversource wanted gone.
The company appealed the decision to the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the two parties eventually agreed to remove 25 trees with a replanting plan and obligation to replace failed plants after one year.
Greenwich Tree Conservancy executive director JoAnn Messina said it was a sad day for Darien residents to lose healthy trees, just as it was for Greenwich.
“We definitely could have fought and not gone into mediation,” Messina said. “I don’t know if we’d be more successful or not. And clearly you don’t want to be in that situation.”
For Darien, the fight ramped up back in May 2021, when Eversource notified the town of the tree removals, prompting vocal dissent from residents. After the Darien tree warden’s ruling that only 21 out of 100 proposed trees could be removed, Eversource filed an appeal with PURA – just like they did with Greenwich.
Redding said removing the trees was necessary to protect high-voltage transmission lines from coming into contact with branches as well as the potential for power outages caused by falling trees.
He took issue with some residents’ claims that Eversource had not diligently maintained the trees by trimming and said “When we come in to maintain the vegetation, they are concerned with the amount that we do.”
The response from neighbors over the final agreement ranged from grudging acceptance to extreme disappointment.
Little Brook Road resident Allie Costanzo said she was “tolerant” of the agreement, not happy about Eversource’s clear cutting but appreciative of the town’s efforts to ensure replanting.
“Am I dancing in the streets and celebrating the resolution? No,” she said. “I’m going to cry when the trees come down, but I am less devastated knowing that there’s a replanting plan in place.”
“Our street is never going to be the same again,” she added.
Other residents like Marie Morgan called saving only 10 trees “pitiful,” and wished an environmental study was conducted on the site. Morgan also took issue with the timeline for tree removal in March, a time when her neighborhood is visited by migrating birds and nesting wildlife.
“I feel like having these trees come down in the beginning of the spring is probably the worst time to decide to take trees down,” she said.
According to Redding, the plan was to remove the trees in autumn, but the extended negotiations forced the removal and replanting to be delayed to spring to fit in “as small a window as possible.”
“The spring and the fall are the optimal time because of the temperatures,” he said. “The town was interested in getting the planting in as soon as possible after the tree removal was done.”
When replanting does begin, new plants will include taller shrubs such as Chinese juniper
and elegantissima arborvitae for evergreen screening along with pollinator plants and bird-friendly habitats.
Redding said the plants going in — selected with help from the company’s arborist team — will provide “a mixture of benefits.”
Former resident Natalie Tallis said she believed Eversource was attempting to undermine replanting by putting in “unviable” growth that she said would be destroyed once the company’s two-year obligation expired.
“Eversource knows this isn’t viable,” she said.
She expressed concern about new plants’ resistance to grazing animals, particularly the arborvitae, which she said would attract local deer. As part of the agreement, Eversource is not responsible for replacing any of the plants damaged by wildlife.
Morgan said she was glad that Eversource was willing to replant and maintain the new growth, though she wanted to see different plants and a commitment to combating invasive plants she is concerned will move in without the trees.
“I would like to see a more robust plan that allows for these trees that they’re going to put in to really live,” she said. “But I’m happy that they are planting
something.”
Negotiations have stretched across two different first selectmen beginning with Jayme Stevenson, who gave her support to the residents fighting to preserve the trees. Upon assuming office, McNally took over responsibility as the town and Eversource entered mediation.
Both Tallis and Morgan said the change in leadership might have resulted in Eversource gaining more ground in negotiations.
For Costanzo, she was glad to see residents’ concerns reflected in the final agreement, some of which they had brought up during an open table meeting between McNally and residents.
“Most of us do support the agreement, and we do appreciate Monica’s help,” Costanzo said. “Fighting to save every single tree is just such a losing battle right now. We don’t have enough support.”
She added that by making Eversource responsible for replanting and maintaining the area, it sets a new bar for the company to replace what it takes out.
“They literally come in and clear everything and don’t care,” she said. “I do think that having a little bit of accountability — to Eversource — I think that it sets a precedent for other towns. I think
that this should be the baseline going forward.”
In Greenwich, Messina said she will be speaking with the chairman of PURA Marissa Gillett on Friday about Eversource’s tree removal plans across the state.
“In the past, we have pushed back and they basically let us be,” she added. “In these specific towns, they’re really pushing this, and I think it has to be stopped.”
Redding said Eversource will monitor the remaining trees in Darien to see whether the trees will grow and affect the transmission lines. After two years, Eversource will be able to revisit removing the trees.
“We obviously sought to remove them,” Redding said. “We’ll be monitoring them, and if, under our assessments, the best option would be in the future to remove them, we will again make that request and have to go through the process.”
Neither Tallis nor Morgan said they believe the remaining trees are safe.
“I think they’re ultimately still taking down essentially all the trees that they plan to take down with the added note that even though we’re giving you these 10, we’re really not giving you these 10,” Morgan said. “We’re just holding off on 10.”