State amends Erie Canal tree-clearing plan

What a difference a day makes. Wednesday, officials said nothing short of a court order could stop the state from moving forward with a plan to remove trees from some embankments along the Erie Canal.

Thursday, officials announced an amended plan in a stark turnaround at a public information meeting in Pittsford Mendon High School. State officials said they negotiated with town supervisors from Brighton, Perinton and Pittsford and decided to redirect resources to focus on clearing underbrush and removing already dead trees.

They'll also hire an certified arborist to develop a "more tailored approach" to remove trees that might pose a threat and leave others standing, state officials said.

More: No stopping Erie Canal clear-cut, state says

More: Some Erie Canal banks to be stripped of trees

The $2.6 million so-called Vegetation Management Project involves clear-cutting 145 acres of forested embankments along 56 elevated sections of the canal between Medina, Orleans County, and Perinton.

The state already completed some of the clear-cutting but committed to not move forward with any additional work before Feb. 7, said Kimberly Harriman, senior vice president for public and regulatory affairs at the New York Power Authority.

"Our modified approach to vegetation management will include what we believe is necessary work to remove dead trees," Harriman said. "These are trees that have toppled over or are dead standing in place. ... This is really about cleaning up the embankments."

The tree removal was scheduled to be completed by March. Clear-cutting began around Medina in September and was halted last month in Spencerport. The stoppage coincided with heightened public pressure, although state officials insisted it was due to winter weather conditions.

After the announcement, residents gathered broke out into applause, clearly happy that concerns they had voiced had been heard.

"I'm elated," said Elizabeth Agte, a founder of the Facebook group Stop the Canal Clear Cut. "This is a powerful example not to give up."

John Callaghan, acting executive deputy director of the Canal Corp., a subsidiary agency of New York Power Agency, acknowledged Wednesday that legal action threatened by some local towns could sideline the project temporarily.

State officials previously said the tree clearing is necessary to protect the structural integrity of those sections of the canal. Over 200 community members and officials gathered Wednesday at the first of two meetings held by NYPA to address questions and concerns.

Harriman said the state will work with property owners on a case-by-base basis to develop effective, tailored strategies. She said she grew up in Hilton and regularly attended Spencerport Canal Days and other canal-related events in Brockport.

"I spent a lot of my youth and my young adulthood in this area enjoying the canal," Harriman said. "So I appreciate the concerns folks have with respect to the vegetation program we originally proposed."

She said it remains important to remove dead vegetation to improve lines of sight. "We want everybody to be able to enjoy the canal," Harriman said. "Every time we open it, we don't want to ever close it until the end of the navigation season."

Harriman said the key question remains: "How do we manage vegetation in a way that gets to the ultimate goals?"

WCLEVELAND@Gannett.com

DANDREATTA@Gannett.com