The Sandwich Planning Board cordially invites the public to attend the Planning Board May 19 meeting at 7:00 pm to receive comments, concerns, suggestions, and recommendations on the Scenic Road Act relative to the process currently in place for the removal and / or cutting of trees.
Some history: The 1971 Town Meeting adopted all town roads existing at that time as scenic roads as provided by Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA) 231:157 (formerly RSA 253:17) and the removal and cutting of trees under the jurisdiction of the Planning Board. Since then, there has been some tree removal and trimming by the Road Agent on selected town roads. Eversource, formerly Public Service of New Hampshire, has done utility line maintenance approximately every five years. The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative’s last major utility maintenance work was around 2003. Individual land owners have had trees removed for new utility line installation. |
The current process as developed by the Planning Board over the years for tree trimming and / or removal of jurisdictional trees – any woody plant which has a circumference of 15 inches or more at a point 4 feet from the ground – is as follows: Submission of an application to the Planning Board with all fees which covers the cost for administrative work and two newspaper notices required by statute. Mark or tag all trees listed in the application and provide a map. Schedule an on-site meeting for the Planning Board to review the trees. Hold a public hearing within 30 days of receipt of the application.
The statute currently has no criteria for review of trees. It is therefore important to obtain public comment on what is important: views, canopy, road maintenance, safety, tree species, etc. The Planning Board would like public input to determine how to proceed in the future: continue review in the current manner; or revise the process; or completely re-work the process. Please attend and help guide the Planning Board.
The statute currently has no criteria for review of trees. It is therefore important to obtain public comment on what is important: views, canopy, road maintenance, safety, tree species, etc. The Planning Board would like public input to determine how to proceed in the future: continue review in the current manner; or revise the process; or completely re-work the process. Please attend and help guide the Planning Board.