State settles case with man who cut trees for backcountry glades

Thomas Tremonte, who lives in New Hampshire, owns property in Westfield that abuts Hazen’s Notch State Park. In June 2019, a forester for the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation received a report of chainsaw noises in the park. The forester passed the message to a game warden who visited Tremonte at his Westfield property, and Tremonte told the warden that “he may have cut too far,” according to the state’s initial complaint.

A few days later, state officials performed a site inspection and found that Tremonte had cut 839 trees on state land.

Officials “observed fresh sawdust, as well as saplings, stems, and fresh green leaves within this area, approximately 300-400 feet wide and 100-130 feet in length,” the complaint stated.

During an interview in September 2019, Tremonte acknowledged to state game wardens that he had cut the trees and said he had intended to create backcountry ski trails.

The settlement agreement signed by Tremonte and the state also calls on him to remove “no trespass” signs he posted on state land, and it clarifies the precise boundary between his land and the state’s.

In an interview with VTDigger, Tremonte said that he had disputed the boundary line the state had used to make its initial inventory of illegally felled trees. He maintained that the newly agreed-upon line places at least a portion of the 839 trees on his land.

“I do feel like the property line dispute should have been taken care of prior to the inventory being taken,” he said. “The cart was put before the horse. They counted the trees before they knew where the property line was.”

The fine was large in this case because of a new state law that assigns value to trees that measure less than an inch in diameter, according to Lou Bushey, a stewardship forester with the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, whose assigned area covers Hazen’s Notch State Park.

Bushey advised anyone looking to cut trees to “definitely know where you are before you start cutting, and make sure you have permission because it does get expensive.”

Earlier this year, the department published a guide that outlines recommendations for people who are looking to create legal backcountry ski areas.

Danielle Fitzko, commissioner of the department, said in a press release that she was “pleased with the resolution of this case, which serves as a reminder that permission is required to cut any tree or shrub owned by others, including the State of Vermont public lands managed by the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation for the benefit of current and future generations.”

This story, by Emma Cotton, was first published by VTDigger on Oct. 23.