The West Montgomery County Citizens Association
will meet at the Potomac Community Center on Wednesday, April 10, 7:15 p.m. If schools are closed because of inclement weather, the meeting will be cancelled.
Speakers will be Jerry Pasternak, Pepco vice president for Maryland Affairs, and Daniel Landry, Pepco senior staff forester.
As Pepco's contractor for utility work in Montgomery County rights of way and on private property, Asplundh seems to be removing trees at a far greater rate than anything the WMCCA seen previously. Evidence is everywhere: the now-absent roadside canopy on River Road, next to Federal parkland along McArthur Boulevard, and even in county parks such as Rockwood. Potomac's historic Glen at the confluence of two streams has been stripped of mature trees, exposing steep slopes to erosion and streams to increased water temperatures. Rustic Roads in the Potomac Subregion, where trees usually receive extra consideration, are no longer safe from wholesale tree removal. The WMCCA asked Pepco representatives to come explain their current work, the reasons why it may be needed, and the source of any directives they are currently following. As always, the public is welcome.