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X marks the chopping spot
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
On Thanksgiving Day 2007, Mine Hill resident Elaine Burbridge of 26 Thomastown Road may have spent all of two seconds solving that riddle when an 80-foot maple tree, located in her front yard, cracked like thunder and fell, damaging her home and son’s vehicle.
Most of the trees on Thomastown Road have been around since the 1920s when Mine Hill was a part of Randolph.
Last week, residents of that tree-lined roadway woke up and discovered that 11 of the historic trees had been painted with a large red fluorescent X marking them for destruction.
According to David Gilbride, the town’s administrator, last year’s Thanksgiving Day accident has required that the town inspect the row of trees located on Thomastown Road and remove diseased or dead trees before they become a liability and possibly hurt someone.
With good intentions, Gilbride began identifying trees that needed to be cut, only to encounter resistance to the idea.
“I must admit that I wasn’t sensitive to the fact that certain people don’t want the trees taken down,” Gilbride said.
“While the town was making its decision to remove dead trees for legal and safety reasons, we overlooked that some of the residents enjoyed the aesthetics of a giant maple tree and how its crooked limbs drape overhead, sometimes extending over the busy roadway.”
Gilbride says the town will hold off on its work until more clarity on how to approach the problem is determined. “Until then, plans to remove the trees by this summer may be delayed. A letter will be sent to residents explaining the town’s proposed action, allowing sufficient time for feedback,” he said.
In other news, the township will host its annual rabies clinic for dogs and cats. Free rabies vaccinations will be administered on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to noon at the municipal garage at 10 Baker St.
“The clinic is open to all pet owners, even those living in other municipalities,” said Pat Korpos, the town’s municipal clerk. For those living in Mine Hill, a dog census is planned for this summer. “Those animal owners found with unlicensed pets will be subject to a fine,” she said.
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