Deerfield Conservation Commission Approves Academy Tree Removal With Invasives Conditions

Conservation · Meeting of July 23, 2026

Deerfield Conservation Commission approves academy boathouse tree removal with invasive-species conditions. The commission voted 4-0-1 Thursday to approve a Notice of Intent filed by the trustees of Deerfield Academy for removal of up to 10 hazardous trees near the rowing dock at 518 River Road, after adding order-of-conditions requirements that mechanical removal of invasive species and a native-species planting strategy be completed in coordination with the commission before work begins. Conservation Agent Tim Coles, who conducted a site walk at the property a month earlier, raised the concern that canopy removal could allow garlic mustard and bittersweet already present to spread.

Member Josh Reynolds abstained on both the hearing-closure and approval votes. The commission also voted 5-0 to continue a separate hearing on amended culvert-cleaning language in the town's bundled DPW maintenance NOI until August 27, after Massachusetts DEP wetlands specialist Mark Stinson, attending as a member of the public on his way to retirement, identified an internal conflict in the draft definitions that requires a rewrite.

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Source: the Conservation meeting of July 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.