AG: NEW HAMPSHIRE MAN LOGGED ON STATE LAND IN HAZEN’S NOTCH WITHOUT PERMISSION
By Gregory J. Lamoureux
County Courier
Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced that the State of Vermont filed a civil lawsuit in Orleans County Superior Court for timber trespass at Hazen’s Notch State Park.
The State alleges that, in 2019, the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) observed an area of trees and shrubs cut on State land within a designated natural area of the Park. In Donovan’s lawsuit, the State alleges that Thomas Tremonte, an abutting property owner who lives in Londonderry, New Hampshire, cut timber and brush on the State Park land without approval.
The man later told investigators that the cutting was for the purpose of backcountry skiing.
The lawsuit seeks treble damages, meaning that if the state were successful, Tremont could be on the hook for three times the value of the timber, and also be required to complete remediation of the affected area.
“Environmental stewardship is a proud Vermont tradition,” said Attorney General Donovan. “Cutting down trees on public land for private use is a violation of the law that comes at a cost to Vermonters and our environment. It is incumbent on all of us to protect and responsibly utilize Vermont’s natural resources, including our State parks.”
In the complaint, the State alleges that the Department of Forest and Parks received a report of hearing chainsaws in the Park on June 21, 2019. That lead to a Game Warden visiting the area the same day, where he allegedly spoke with the adjacent landowner, Thomas Tremonte, on his log landing and camp driveway.
The State alleges Tremonte had been cutting trees on his own land and stated to the Game Warden that he may have cut too far. Forest and Parks Department foresters returned to inspect the area, where they found evidence of cutting prior to 2019 within the area, as well.
Tremonte’s property is the first property on the Westfield side of the town line between Montgomery and Westfield.
“We’re grateful to the person who reported this incident to our department and we rely on the public to notify us when they notice anything of concern in Vermont’s state forests and state parks. These public lands are to be enjoyed by all – including for backcountry recreation – and also provide important natural habitat. When individuals conduct unauthorized cutting of trees for private benefit, they encroach on the public benefits of state lands available to everyone,” Forest and Parks Commissioner Michael Snyder said.
The land that Tremonte is accused of cutting trees on is owned by the State of Vermont, and has been since 1946, according to public land records.
According to land records, the land that Tremont owns is approximately 47 acres. The size of the State’s owned property is ten times that of Tremont, with other State owned property in the very near vicinity, adding up to more than a thousand acres of Forest and parks acreage.
According to court records, investigators found evidence of fresh cut trees in a 300-400 foot wide swath, as much as 130 feet long, located about 400 yards from Route 58. Counting the stumps, foresters discovered 839 trees had been removed from the area without the permission of the Department of Forest and parks.
In addition to the value of the timber, if the state’s case is successful, Tremonte could be held financially liable for the state’s legal fees, as well as any other civil damages that a court sees fit.
A portion of the Park is a designated natural area due to cliffs of serpentine rock that support rare plant species. Historically and in recent years, peregrine falcons have also nested at the Park.
