Residents interested in a delivery of wood from Norfolk Public Works should contact the Selectmen’s Office at 860-542-5829. There is a simple form to fill out and the wood will be delivered to a designated spot on the homeowner’s property.
“We do so many trees per month, things that blow down or we take down,” said First Selectman Matt Riiska. “We need to do something with the wood and providing it for individuals to burn is a good thing.”
While the offer seems like a boon, homeowners should be aware that the wood will not be cut in stove-length pieces or split.
Trees are not the only things being trimmed in Norfolk. The tree account in the proposed 2024-25 general government budget has been reduced by $60,000, this despite the decimation of ash trees by the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), which has killed or is killing all the mature ash trees in the state. Ash trees account for about 15 percent of Connecticut forests.
A tiny, stingless Asian wasp, a predator of the EAB, has been introduced in Connecticut in the hope that it will control the number of ash borers and let new growth flourish.
In addition, many maple trees are in ill health. “We have a lot of maples that are old and distressed,” said Riiska. “I wish we could do more tree trimming. Last year we paid a contractor $60,000 to take down a considerable number but that won’t happen this year. We hope to pick it back up next year. We have a $40,000 line item for trees, but you could quadruple that.”