WBUR 6/15/12: Residents Protest NStar’s ‘Scorched Earth’ Tree Clearing. If you were one of the 2.5 million people who lost power during last October’s surprise snowstorm, you may remember that falling trees were the primary cause of those outages. Utility companies took a lot of heat then, and after past storms, for not having done enough tree maintenance. But they say the work they’re doing now should help prevent future damage.

Some of that work involves a giant machine that looks like an excavator, except that at the end of its mechanical arm is a massive spinning blade and huge claw that can take down a tree in seconds. Crews working for NStar were using that machine this week to remove trees near its high-voltage power lines along Oak Hill Road in Wayland. A horrified Meg McConnell, who lives nearby, looked on as even trees bordering driveways were targeted for removal.