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Town staff: emerald ash borer found on multiple roads; residents told to contact DPW or utility
Summary
A staff member reported emerald ash borer infestations on trees along several town roads and advised residents to contact the Department of Public Works, Templeton Light Company, or the staff member for wetland trees; MassDEP was contacted for guidance on wetland buffer disturbance.
A staff member at a recent public meeting reported that trees exhibiting emerald ash borer infestation have been identified along multiple town roads and advised residents on where to seek help.
The staff member said, "trees have been identified on Baldwinville Road, Dudley Road, Old Winchendon Road, Farnsworth Road, Maple Street, South Main Street, State Road, Wellington Road, South Road, and Depot Road" and urged residents to take action depending on the trees' location.
The staff member told the public that "if they are town trees that you're concerned about, I would recommend contacting the DPW director. Those are the jurisdiction of the DPW director." For trees adjacent to power lines, the staff member recommended contacting the Templeton Light Company. For trees within or adjacent to wetlands, the staff member said residents should contact the staff member directly and said they had "been in communication with the DPW director, and I did reach out to MassDEP."
On removal near wetland buffer zones, the staff member relayed MassDEP-related advisement: "as long as we know about the tree in the emergency, the advisement would be to have a professional company safely remove the tree and keep the stump if it's in the buffer zone, so that there would be no disturbance."
No formal motions or votes were taken during this remark. The staff member's comments were advisory: residents were given contact points and procedural guidance rather than a town directive or policy change.
Officials did not provide details about follow-up actions, a townwide inspection schedule, or a timeline for any removals during the remarks.
Residents with questions were told to contact the Department of Public Works director for town-owned trees, the Templeton Light Company for trees near power lines, or the staff member for wetland-related concerns.
