I think it fortuitous that the glowing article about Bristol, honored by being designated a Tree City USA, should be published this week. I understand the need for inspecting and determining which trees need to be removed. I also understand the need for clear power lines which supply all of us.

The article would lead you to believe that there is some master plan for what needs to be done and perhaps some communication between departments and utilities and that we, Bristolians, are doing a fantastic job at that.

We came home this week to find that the two gorgeous red maple trees which we planted in 1980 were not trimmed to accommodate National Grid’s power lines, but sliced completely in half … No not horizontally, VERTICALLY!

One complete side of the trees are missing. All the weight is now on one side, leaning toward the house. It has destroyed the beauty of those trees as well as the appearance of our home. I am heartbroken at the loss of those trees. We have cared for them for 40 years. They were very healthy and not diseased in any way.

Maybe the tree guy was having a bad day, but for us it has destroyed 40 years. I am heartsick about the loss but disturbed by the fact that they were able to just come in and chop off whatever they wanted to. No respectable arborist would have hacked a tree up this way.

Last Spring, Verizon came through and trimmed the trees to accommodate a communication line to Bank of America. I asked them to be aggressive and they were: but thinned the trees as opposed to chopping off one side. Evidently, each utility gets to hire a tree company to cut the same trees, whenever they want to. I’m guessing that we get to pay more in our utility bills for the privilege of doing it twice.

No reasonable Conservation Committee would have allowed this to happen with no recourse. That is not trimming and is in no way beneficial to the town of Bristol. I am glad that the tree-lined High Street is so appreciated, but what about Franklin Street. We too are in the Historic District and pay just as much in taxes. Are we not equal? Oh, maybe not.

Jim and Beth Riccio
Bristol