The Town of Southborough Planning Board on April 20 approved National Grid's fiscal year 2026 Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) for circuits in the southern part of town after questions about a mislabelled circuit map, pruning practice quality and how larger trees and wetland areas are handled.

The vote followed a consolidated meeting with the town's tree warden, Chris LaRoy, and National Grid staff. Jay Littrell, a Planning Board member, called the roll and confirmed a quorum before the discussion began. "I'm Bob Moran. I'm a community engagement manager with National Grid," National Grid said during introductions, and Eric, identified as National Grid's forestry supervisor, described his assumption of oversight for the four towns previously covered by another supervisor.

Why it matters: The VMP authorizes routine trimming and limited removals along identified circuits and sets expectations for contractor conduct and town notification. Residents and board members raised concerns about map accuracy, adherence to pruning standards and the process for removing trees 8 inches in diameter or larger'issues that affect scenic roads, wetlands and neighborhood aesthetics.

Board members and residents pressed National Grid on several specific points. Resident Mimi Brascio noted she did not see a citation to Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) in the packet and asked that future submissions include the regulatory references so the public can see which state rules are being followed. Brascio also pointed out a labelling error on a circuit map (page 20 of a 22-page map set) where a road name was incorrect: what should read as Courteville (spelled variously in the meeting) was labelled Woodland in part of the PDF. Colleen, town staff, pulled the map for the group to review during the meeting.

National Grid representatives said they "file all the applicable laws of the state" and acknowledged the mapping error while explaining that the detailed GIS maps behind the PDF are tied to multiple internal systems. Eric said the company knew where trimming would occur on the ground but cautioned that changing a PDF that is backed by GIS and operational systems can be complex.

Board members and residents also described examples of recent work that appeared to depart from accepted pruning practice. A board member said crews had not followed ANSI A300 pruning standards in some instances and that several trees appeared topped rather than pruned at appropriate nodes. National Grid's forestry supervisor said he would investigate specific locations flagged during the meeting and that emergency removals are handled differently: "Emergency work's a that's separate category. We don't clean up any trees from removal work that happens during emergency conditions," he said, adding that emergency crews focus on safety and moving on to high-priority calls.

Planning Board member Corinne Houlihan (first reference as Miss Houlihan during the meeting) asked National Grid to confirm two scope items in the VMP packet'sections referenced as 4.20.6 (preserving existing conditions) and 4.30.5 (stumps shall be cut flat). National Grid agreed to those provisions and said crews sometimes leave stub cuts when snow is present but that the contract requires restoration consistent with the scope.

On the threshold for hearings, the board sought clarity about work on trees 8 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH) or larger. National Grid and the tree warden said routine bid-driven trimming generally does not include removal of healthy trees of that size; removals of trees 8 inches DBH or larger are treated as isolated situations that would be grouped into a separate proposal and brought to the town for review. The company described a separate Enhanced Hazard Tree Mitigation Program (EHTM or HTMP) used when many poor-performing trees are being addressed; that program is administered separately from the circuit-driven maintenance plan and was responsible for a larger set of removals in the past.

Board members asked about contractors and oversight. National Grid said vegetation contractors are contracted on a lump-sum, per-mile basis and must be prequalified (ISN network) and line-clearance certified. A company representative said crews receive an "onboarding" visit by a National Grid representative or safety officer at the start of their work and that field audits occur at least weekly; the company also conducts percentage audits of completed work and will schedule rework when standards are not met.

Several residents raised wetlands concerns, reporting tree work in wetland areas and disturbance of vernal pools. National Grid staff said they were not previously aware of such work in wetlands on Oregon Road and asked for specific locations to investigate. The tree warden and National Grid reiterated that work in regulated wetlands may require coordination with the Conservation Commission and compliance with the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act.

Before adjourning, the board moved to approve the FY26 VMP. A motion and a second were made and the roll call vote was unanimous among members on the record: Littrell, Houlihan, Demeria and Rafael voted yes; Tree Warden Chris LaRoy also gave verbal approval. Following the vote LaRoy agreed to sign the approval form and National Grid staff and town staff agreed to circulate executed copies to the parties.

Votes at a glance: The Planning Board voted to approve the FY26 Vegetation Management Plan (motion: approve FY26 VMP; mover and seconder not specified on the record). Vote: yes 5, no 0 (Littrell yes; Houlihan yes; Demeria yes; Rafael yes; Tree Warden Chris LaRoy yes). Outcome: approved.

What happens next: National Grid will attempt to correct the map PDF where feasible, will follow up on flagged pruning locations and said crews will be briefed to avoid errors the town highlighted. The company reiterated that large-scale hazard-tree work is handled through separate programs and that emergency removals follow a different cleanup standard.

The board's packet included the VMP for April 1 through March 31 (FY26). Town staff said they will compile the executed approval form into the VMP packet and forward copies to National Grid representatives for their records.