Forest Cutting Plan will allow clear-cutting wetlands
A state-sanctioned Forest Cutting Plan will allow Tony Shaw to clear-cut property along Littleton Road that he intends to use as a pumpkin field. Shaw previously hayed the field.
After noticing changes on the land in 2012, the Conservation Commission hired a professional wetlands consultant, who “determined that essentially the entire area is, in fact, wetlands,” according to commission minutes. Shaw was later advised to have the wetlands areas professionally delineated at his expense.
Some commissioners tried to question the changes the current plan would allow, but Chairman Paul Willard told the commission that a Forestry Cutting Plan by a state-certified forester exempts the land from Wetlands Protection Act restrictions.
Beavers at Williams Pond
Beaver activity at Williams Pond on Stow Road, which clogs the pond’s drainage culvert, has frustrated the commission for several years. Willard’s suggested solution is to reverse the aggravation. “If we frustrate them enough, they might get discouraged and leave,” he said.
Willard Lane land
The commission scheduled a site walk on land on Willard Lane owned by Paul and Wendell Willard. The brothers are offering the land for sale to the town with a conservation restriction.
