Carl Kustell picked up where Kate Weymouth left off.

During Monday night’s town council meeting, Mr. Kustell offered an update of the public works department’s tree removal tally. Mr. Kustell, a newly-elected member of the council, said the town’s DPW had removed eight trees last month and planted one.

Ms. Weymouth started offering the informal tree report months ago, in an effort to ensure that the town planted just as many trees (if not more) than it removed.

Mr. Kustell said the recent month’s tally exhibited a continuing deficit.

“I hope we can address it in the coming year,” he said.

Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha said the balance of trees removed and trees planted will improve once the planting season arrives.

However, a look back at the DPW monthly reports to the Barrington Town Council shows that the town has actually planted almost twice as many trees as it has removed over the last nine months. According to the most recent reports available, the Barrington DPW has removed 45 trees and planted 88.

Most monthly reports listed a greater number of trees removed than planted, but the report for April 2020 listed 71 trees planted. It is likely that the significant increase was part of the town’s new tree nursery, created on the property near the community garden off the Wampanoag Trail. Fourteen trees were also planted in October, according to the monthly reports.

Tree on Hemlock

The town’s removal of one specific tree resulted in a letter to the town council recently.

Barrington resident Robin Lee Gardner sent a letter to the town council in late November detailing the situation. Ms. Gardner wrote that a 75-year-old town tree located on Hemlock Drive was cut down after a resident in that area requested it be removed because “he was sick of picking up leaves and that his roof is being ruined by them.”

In her letter, Ms. Gardner wrote that if the town cut down all the trees that dropped leaves “we would not have any trees left.” She added that many residents in that part of town were furious.

“Unfortunately, we can’t put the tree back but this should never happen again…” she wrote, adding that someone should be held accountable for the situation.