Walpole Conservation Commission Doubles Fee for Unpermitted Historic Society Tree Removal

WALPOLE -- April 22, 2026, Walpole Conservation Commission imposes doubled filing fee after trees removed without permits at historic society church. The commission voted unanimously at its April 22 meeting to charge the Townsend Historical Society twice the standard $200 filing fee, reduced to $150 after a 25 percent nonprofit discount, for an amended order of conditions covering the Harvard Church, where trees were removed without permits in late December or early January. Members found the restoration and planting plan submitted by engineers Dillis and Roy deficient, citing trees spaced 10 feet apart for species with 60-plus-foot spreads and a plan that still showed a septic system that has since been relocated. "I highly suggest you hire an arborist, wetland scientist, someone with a background," the conservation agent told the historical society's representative. The commission also continued the Reed Homestead enforcement matter to May 13, when it will decide whether to require a formal Notice of Intent or proceed under an enforcement order, and confirmed that the Adams Dam feasibility report is due June 30, after which a dam-removal decision could go to a town meeting vote.