Planning Board approves eight tree removals, defers 30 pending scenic-road site visit

SUDBURY — July 15, 2026 — Sudbury Planning Board approves eight tree removals along four scenic roads, holds 30 more for site visit. The board voted 4-1 July 15, with Chair Stephen Garvin dissenting, to let Eversource take down eight high-hazard trees along Concord Road, Plimpton Road, Candy Hill Road and Water Row — most of them dead ash. Eversource arborist Matthew Mitchell reported roughly 80 tree-related outages on circuit 342-87 over five years and said Sudbury ranks in the top five Boston-area Eversource towns for outage frequency. Member Kirsten Roopenian said the board's charge is not "whether Eversource can maintain reliable service" but whether specific removals are justified under the scenic roads bylaw. The board continued the remaining 30 trees to August 12 and will hold a site visit, likely along Concord Road near Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, to consider a trial understory flat-cut.