Tree Trimming

For years I've been driving up and down Route 30 between Brattleboro and Newfane, and I've been struck by the lack of vegetation that grows on the Rt. 30 side of the river in Bratt. and Dummerston. There are some sections, several hundred feet long, that have virtually no trees. Just yesterday I noticed that the DOT (?) trimmed many trees' limbs and cut down every sapling in at least one of these sections. While I understand the need to keep highway shoulders somewhat clear, it seems they could allow some more trees to grow in this barren stretch. The lower West is one of Vermont's warmest bodies of water in the summer. More trees would offer some shade as well as habitat. I wonder if this could be a future streambank restoration project...