Tree Ordinance Board

The Tree Ordinance Board is a five-member panel of residents established by the Town Tree Ordinance and appointed by the Mayor to hear requests by property owners wanting to cut down trees 24 inches in circumference or larger that are not certified by the town arborist as dead, dying, hazardous, or nuisance trees.

The current Board consists of the following residents:

• Melanie Choukas-Bradley
• Miriam Daniel
• Penny Douglas
• David Strom
• Chris Wright (Chair)

The Board generally meets in the Town Hall on the first Thursday of the month when there is a request to be heard.  Panel proceedings are relatively informal.  The applicant, who has previously filed a written request form, is given an opportunity to explain in person why he/she wants to remove the tree in question.  Residents have a chance to support or object to the request in person or in writing, and the panel makes a public decision to approve, deny, or approve with conditions.

Since the Tree Ordinance prohibits cutting down healthy, desirable trees that measure over 24 inches in circumference at four feet above the ground, the Board is, in essence, hearing an appeal from the requirements of the ordinance. When evaluating a request, the Board is required to consider eight specific factors listed in the Tree Ordinance in making its decision.

In 2007 the Board heard eight appeals.  All but one involved construction of a new house or a major renovation.  Half were brought by homeowners and half by builders.  The panel approved five appeals, all with requirements for replacing the lost trees.  Three appeals were denied, including requests to cut down an American beech, a tulip poplar, and a row of crape myrtles that were neighborhood landmarks.

In the same period the Town Manager granted Tree Removal Permits in 75 cases in which trees were deemed hazardous, or were on the list of undesirable tree species designated by the Council.  Over 50 of the hazardous or dying trees were shade trees (oaks, maples, beeches) of notable size that contributed significantly to the Town’s tree canopy but had succumbed to the rigors of urban life.