The cleanup of town tree belts has been completed.
Damage to homes and trees in Wilbraham is seen in this aerial photo shot the day after three tornadoes hit Western and Central Massachusetts June 1.WILBRAHAM – Now that the town has completed the cleanup of trees downed in the tornado from the treebelts, it will remove trees from five areas of town which contain waterways and are susceptible to flooding, Department of Public Works Director Edmond W. Miga told the Board of Selectmen.
The areas where tree removal will be done include the Wildwood Lane area where water comes off the mountain, Beebe Road, Brookside Drive, an area near Minnechaug Regional High School and the western side of Stony Hill Road near Tinkham Road, Miga said.
Miga said a company will be contracted to remove a total of 1,130 trees damaged in the tornado.
The cost will be about $1 million, Miga said.
He said the work will be 75 percent refundable by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. He said the town will be responsible for the balance of the cost.
“We’re going to clean up the natural drainage areas affected by the tornado,” Miga said.
All of the work will be done in a 10-day period, Miga said. He said the town will have to seek some entry onto private property to complete the work.
Miga said some stumps will be left in the affected areas to prevent erosion.
Miga said he will be seeking permission from the State Department of Environmental Protection to do the work in August.
“I want to do the work while the weather is dry,” Miga said. “Heavy storms will make the work more difficult.”