Roadside trees and right-of-way management
Do residents care enough to speak for the trees?
In a rite of passage indicating that summer is nearing its close, the Town mower has come and gone, leaving open roadsides, mangled brush, and, here and there, damaged trees. But let’s not fault the mower driver. His directive is to remove vegetation obstructing the road sight lines, even if it means mowing too close to trees.
Indeed, Vermont's tree-lined backroads are an asset that residents are so accustomed to seeing, they may take them for granted. However, regional planning commissions, tasked with guiding municipalities in following State planning regulations, realize their enormous value. The Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Planning Commission wrote the following: "The appeal of the Vermont countryside attracts a large tourist population which accounts for a substantial portion of the State's economy. It is from the backroads that the majority of visitors view the Vermont scene. ... Often … modifications to accommodate increased traffic … have caused unnecessary damage to environmental features and in turn have degraded the scenic, economic, and cultural values associated with a backroad."
To start with the basics, Towns are responsible for managing public roads, but most often they don't own them. Frequently (but not always) road abutters on each side own the land to the middle of the road. What Towns do own is an easement, a right to use a strip of land or public right-of-way (ROW), that is in total 49.5ft or three rods wide and (usually) centered on the middle of the road. The easement gives Towns the right to cut down trees and vegetation, straighten curves, widen the traveled road, and add gravel, etc. without the landowners' permission, so long as it is within the boundaries of the easement. The Towns may also permit power, telephone, and cable companies to use the right-of-way.
In the average right-of-way, the traveled road is flanked on either side by a cleared/mowed zone (road shoulder) and then a strip of "managed vegetation." In the majority of Vermont backroads this vegetation is trees.
Trees along roads serve many functions. In addition to providing the picturesque rural ambience so beloved by tourists, they afford privacy to homeowners and reduce soil erosion. Their shade slows the drying of gravel road surfaces, thus cutting down on dust. Trees also directly protect roads. A deciduous tree canopy cover can reduce rainfall intensity by 15-21%, while a coniferous canopy cuts it by 21-52%. This diminishes road erosion by rainstorms, which in turn protects water quality. Underground, the vast network of tree roots holds soil together. In fact, roots increase the shear strength of soil by forming a strong root-soil composite that increases soil cohesion. Wet soils are weak soils, so roots, just by constantly extracting water from soils, diminish soil collapse and erosion.
Trees of historical and cultural significance exist on some roads in Thetford. For instance, the grand old sugar maples on Turnpike Road North have yielded sap for maple syrup for decades, if not generations. And on many gravel roads in town there are trees that look bigger and older than the surrounding forest. Farmers may have allowed them to grow as livestock shade trees on the edges of pastures (now abandoned), or they escaped logging.
Our backroads are seeing an ever-increasing amount of traffic due to the creeping fragmentation of large parcels to make desirable house lots. Vehicles are getting larger too. Modern SUVs and pickup trucks dwarf their counterparts of 40 years ago. Most backroads were not created for such traffic, so the Town has periodically engaged in backroad-widening sprees, often to the detriment of majestic old trees, some over 100 years old. Sadly, with the road encroaching close to their trunks, they have become victims of the snowplow blade and the flail mower. One can find deep wounds in the lower bark that are conduits for fungus infection and decay, defeating the tree's attempts to heal the injury. It can take decades for a big tree to die, but once damaged, these valuable scenic assets may become dangerous liabilities.
Left: deep decay in the base of an oak tree; This tree has a DBH (diameter at breast height) of about 34 inches and could be close to 100 years old. Right: This maple has been hit many times in more than one place.
The VT Urban and Community Forestry Program advises Towns to "Identify locations where road-tree conflicts exist, then determine if road crews should use narrower or alternate road maintenance equipment, or if a tree should be removed." Towns are also advised to "reduce mowing beneath mature trees … note locations where trees are wounded … and work with the tree warden, Conservation Commission and neighboring landowners to address tree preservation or tree removal .…"
In practice, Thetford has 49 miles of gravel roads to maintain and mow. There are damaged roadside trees in many places, and the Town does not have the luxury of "narrower or alternate" equipment. It falls to residents to pay attention and care about roadside trees. The driver of the mower is happy to avoid trees if he is asked in advance and if they are clearly identified with colored flagging tape. But this probably wouldn't work for the snowplow driver who may be plowing by night or in low visibility conditions and has the more urgent task of keeping the road open.
The Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program would like Towns to "treat right-of-way vegetation as an important piece of municipal infrastructure and public space" in keeping with its valuable role in contributing to the traditional beauty and character of Vermont. This would require a shift in the way backroads are perceived and managed by the Town. And it would take public pressure. Do residents care enough to speak for the trees?