Submitted by Lynne Mason, Edited by Susan Meadows
Two of the many sections of the valuable wood from the trees on Union Street in Fairhaven are on a trailer at 32 Union Street to be hauled away on 2/27/25. Submitted photo.
What took over 100 years for Mother Nature to create was destroyed in 16 hours starting on 2/27/25 and ending on 2/28/2025. Two healthy (about 60 foot) 100-year-old oak trees were cut down at 32 Union Sreet in Fairaven.*
If you want to help advocate for our Fairhaven trees email treesinfairhaven@gmail.com. Interested Folks will meet later in March. Time and accessible place to be announced.
Where will all the beautiful very valuable oak wood from these trees go?
“Once the trees were taken down I witnessed at least two huge truckloads of wood and a trailer driving away. As instructed, the Knowles landscaping company crew cut the trunks in very large pieces. What is the plan for this wood?” Lynne Mason, Fairhaven
Joshua Crabb, highway supervisor, told Mason the wood will be stored at BPW facilities.
Crabb said if he does not get approval from Public Works Superintendent, Vincent Furtado, for volunteers to create objects for public use, the wood could go into the land fill.
Hugh Davis and his experienced group of volunteer sawyers/ woodworkers have contacted BPW and requested to work with the wood for the benefit of the town. They haven’t gotten approval yet. A letter to the BPW was sent in support of Hugh Davis’s group’s offer of volunteer work to benefit the town’s residents and visitors.
“It feels like something sinister is happening. I hope we will hear how the thousands of dollars of the townspeople’s tree wood will be used for the public good and that is does not end up in private hands/mills.” Sue Meadows, Fairhaven
If there had been increased transparency, and communication at the BEGINNING of the planning stage the trees could have been saved. At the beginning there would have been time to submit and review alternative cost-effective plans from the public.
For example, Michael Bothelo said, “If only I was asked, we would have given legal permission for part of my land next to the library to be used for the electrical upgrade for the library. The trees would have been saved and the project might even have cost less and be less unsightly. No one even asked us!”
See Wayne Hayward’s alternative plan submitted to the town Select Board **.
Allowing public comment only at the end of the process is too late. It will always delay completion and thus be too costly to change a plan after permitting has been set in place. The public needs to know in a timely, transparent way about removal of healthy trees so we can be an effective part of the solution.
If you agree, please send an email to treesinfairhaven@gmail.com please join us at the meeting in March. Details to follow.
*See related articles concerning these trees. They were evaluated as healthy by the tree warden, Fairhaven Neighborhood News 1/16/25, p16 , 2/6/25, p14,. 3/6/25 pp 5 &11
**See related minutes 1/13/25 Select Board Hearing. Attachment D for information on the Hayward alternative plan that would have helped the library but saved the trees.
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Click here to download the 3/13/25 issue: 03-13-25 TreeDown
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