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| it was a challenge to try and get a photo |
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| A close up of the wormy creature |
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| having had a good meal on these leaves, I guess they were moving on |
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| forsythia |
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| budding tree - 2 |
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| budding tree - 3 |
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| Tree on King St near Parmenter |
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| tree suffering from some weird sickness |
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| tree sickness - close up view |
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| outside 1776 Financial Services, East Central St |
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| tree at Rockland Trust, East Central St |
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| leaning trees along King St |
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| large and old tree on King St near Peck |
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| Evergreen tree on King St |
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| tree skyline in Franklin |
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| Akin-Bak Christmas Trees |
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| corner of Summer and Mount streets |
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| three large trees down on the right approaching Summer St |
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| midway up the hill, the tree line is still full |
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| this monster of an old tree is still growing |
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| another large tree near the slight curve before the crest |
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| new poles are taller than the poles being replaced |
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| trees keep us cooler |
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| trees increase our property value |
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Councilors accepted incorporating a real estate tax deferral and two laws which let seniors defer water and sewer charges.
In place already for seniors is a property tax deferral program.
Town Treasurer/Collector James Dacey Jr. said currently one family is participating in that program.
“I know they are having a very difficult time,” Dacey said. “I looked into how we could help out in other ways.”
In 2010, 9.4 percent of Franklin’s 31,635 residents were age 65 and older, according to census data.
National Grid this week began isolating the trees around the poorest performing circuits as targets for trimming. And it recently briefed Department of Public Works Director and Tree Warden Robert Cantoreggi.
Cantoreggi said Wednesday National Grid does not plan to perform any clear cutting and will only prune and trim around lines. "For any specific tree take down, they would have to come before us," he said. "If (the tree) is a hazard tree or a dead tree, we would probably let them do it. If it is a healthy tree, we would have to have a hearing."
Beginning in August, Asplundh Tree Company will be performing work on behalf of National Grid. Crews throughout town will be cutting, clearing, pruning and removing trees around electrical transmission lines. The work is expected to last into mid September. Any questions should be directed to National Grid Arborist David W. Donaghue at 508-482-1242.
For more than a century, a relentless blight has decimated the American chestnut tree, driving the nation’s once grandest hardwood to the edge of extinction.
First identified in 1904 in chestnut trees near the Brooklyn Zoo, the blight is thought to have arrived on imported Japanese chestnuts. It spread by airborne spores across the Eastern seaboard, eventually killing an estimated four billion trees, said Paul Franklin, communications director of The American Chestnut Foundation.
“The American chestnut has gone from being a dominant tree to a shrub. If we do not intercede, it will eventually become extinct,” he said from the Foundation’s headquarters in Asheville, N.C.
Natural Christmas trees will be picked up curbside the week of January 9th on your normal trash and recycling pick up day. Make sure they are within 3 feet of the curb and out the day before. Artificial trees and/or trees with decorations, tinsel, lights or other ornaments will not be picked up.
Natural Christmas trees will be picked up curbside the week of January 9th on your normal trash and recycling pick up day. Make sure they are within 3 feet of the curb and out the day before. Artificial trees and/or trees with decorations, tinsel, lights or other ornaments will NOT be picked up.
After a hearing before the Planning Board last month, Cantoreggi looked at the trees and determined an oak near 324 Prospect St. did not need to be cut, he said.
"I think they wanted the tree down because it was in their way," Cantoreggi said. "I was more of the stance that the tree hadn't failed and I didn't see an immediate safety concern. It's a large beautiful tree. I didn't want to see it cut down."
National Grid had initially wanted to cut 10 trees but scaled back the plan after touring the area with Cantoreggi, company representatives said at the hearing.
The work is part of a program in which the company identifies areas with frequent outages caused by falling trees or branches and trims or cuts trees to reduce the problem, company representatives said at the hearing.
"Tree-related outages are among the leading cause of service interruptions for our customers," National Grid spokeswoman Deborah Drew said in an interview.
