Shrewsbury bylaw prevents clear cutting of trees

Shrewsbury Town Meeting members last month approved a zoning bylaw that prevents the mass clearing of trees from large plots until the property owner has approval for a planned development.

The bylaw prohibits the removal of all the trees in a woodland of 20,000 square feet or more in any 12-month period unless there is a locally approved site plan, subdivision plan or building permit for the site, or the cutting is done in accordance with a state-approved forest management plan.

The bylaw passed at a special town meeting on Nov. 9 and takes effect once it is reviewed and approved by the attorney general’s office. Shrewsbury officials reviewed similar zoning rules in Walpole, Springfield, Duxbury and other cities and towns before drafting the bylaw, according to Kristen Las, Shrewsbury’s assistant town manager and economic development coordinator.

“It’s really to just send the message that the town of Shrewsbury would like to preserve as much woodlands within town as within reason,” she said. “People certainly have the right to develop their land as they see fit, within the confines of the local zoning bylaw.”

Shrewsbury’s Planning Board and Finance Committee had voted unanimously to recommend the bylaw for passage.

The Shrewsbury Board of Selectmen worked with the Planning Department and Planning Board to draft the clear-cutting bylaw after the developer of a project at the intersection of Route 9 and Oak Street cleared 18.5 acres, or about 60 percent of his site.

“The developer had an extremely conceptual plan of what he wanted to do,” Las said. “It was filed with MEPA [Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office], so there was some documentation about his plans for the property. But he did not have any local Planning Board approvals.”

When the developer cut the trees, Las said, “he was within the confines of the requirements, but because this piece of property is so prominently located … it drew a lot of attention from not only residents but passersby of the area.”

A June 12 letter from MEPA signed by Assistant Secretary for Environmental Review Deirdre Buckley said the developer’s actions violated “the spirit of the MEPA process.” Cutting the trees before the MEPA process was completed eliminated the possibility of assessing alternative plans that could have limited alteration of the land and clearing of trees, the letter stated. The action also “exposes soils to the unnecessary effects of erosion and sedimentation from wind and rainfall well in advance of an imminent construction date.”