Conservation Commission approves three-year chestnut research license on Sears land

WESTON — January 23, 2024 — Weston Conservation Commission formalizes 20-year-old chestnut research project on Sears land. The commission voted 5-0 to authorize the Town Manager to sign a three-year license with the American Chestnut Foundation's Massachusetts–Rhode Island chapter, covering breeding plots that lead researcher John Emery said now hold about 2,400 trees across 42 plots, down from 6,000. At Emery's request, members added explicit language preserving the option to pollinate existing trees with genetically modified pollen, which Emery said could enter the pipeline within three years. "It's a long-term project," Emery told the commission. "It's on tree time." In a separate 5-0 vote, the commission recommended the town decline its Chapter 61A right of first refusal on 3.5 acres at 0 Conant Road, where the Viles family plans a two-truck-per-day leaf-composting operation. Members also issued a return-to-compliance letter and certificate of compliance closing out a 2011 enforcement order at Weston Market under file 337-1114.