If the tall fir outside Wiscasset's town office poses a visibility issue when emergency vehicles are heading onto Route 1, removing the lower branches might remove the problem, a resident suggested on May 6.

“You'd still have the tree and nothing more than the width of a telephone pole as an obstruction,” George Green told Wiscasset selectmen.

“That tree is beautiful,” Green said.

He asked the board to consider his suggestion for the approximately four-decade-old tree as an alternative to removal. “If you trimmed it and it didn't work, then take it down,” he said.

On April 15, the board approved the tree's removal. Fire and ambulance officials had made the request so that drivers of the emergency vehicles can better see the Route 1 traffic they are entering, and so motorists can better see them.

Taking out the tree would also make room for the personal vehicles that crew members arrive in when responding to an emergency, officials said. Green questioned whether there would be as many parking spaces as projected.

The fir and a willow tree near the police station will likely be removed sometime this spring, Wiscasset Road Commissioner Doug Fowler has said.

Green made his comments during the public comment portion of Tuesday night's meeting. The board took no new action on the matter.