Hadley Conservation Commission Delays Tree Removal, Requires Arborist Report First

HADLEY -- February 11, 2025, Hadley Conservation Commission continues Route 9 tree removal request, advances solar landfill study. The commission voted unanimously February 11 to continue a request from Chestnut Realty Management, owner of Hadley Campus Plaza at 454 Russell Street, to remove four red oak trees from the 35-foot no-disturb wetland buffer zone, requiring the company to first obtain a certified arborist report and a defined trimming plan before the March 11 hearing. One member said flatly, "there's no reason to take the trees out just because you don't like them," and the full board declined to approve removal or open-ended trimming without professional documentation. The commission also gave informal guidance to the Hadley Solar Landfill Steering Committee that a 100-foot river setback governs the footprint of a proposed landfill solar installation, clearing the way for Solar Design Associates, hired under a $12,000 Town Meeting appropriation, to file for an Eversource grid capacity study. A draft conservation restriction on a small priority-habitat parcel near the bike path and South Ranch Road, currently farmed by Mountain View Farm, was advanced 4-0 to state review, with the Conservation Commission itself to serve as holder after Kestrel Land Trust declined.