Trees and shrubs located upon the Borough streets, rights-of-ways, highways, public places and parks are protected by Borough Ordinance and cannot be pruned, removed or disturbed without written permission from the Shade Tree Commission. The right-of-way of Borough streets does not end at the edge of the street pavement. Simplified, the right-of-way of a Borough street is usually 30 to 50 feet in width or 15 to 25 feet on either side of the centerline of the street pavement (the “roadbed”). The size of the roadbed varies widely as does the planting belt. The planting belt is the area between the edge of the roadbed and the adjoining property line and can range from 3-15 feet in width. To determine the exact widths of the right-of-way, roadbed, and planting belt for your property, consult the Shade Tree Commission’s Right of Way spreadsheet.
The planting belt is where Borough owned trees are located. These trees are referred to as Street Trees. If there is also a sidewalk, it is usually located between the edge of the roadbed and the planting belt. The Shade Tree Commission may be contacted by calling Borough Hall to answer any questions about the right-of-way width, roadbed width, planting belt width and trees located therein.
Borough Ordinance 102 requires a Street Tree Management Plan be implemented prior to the issuance of building, road-opening, or soil moving permits. The Street Tree Management Plan requires the identification and marking of Street Trees and installation of snow fencing or other approved fencing material at the perimeter of a Tree Protection Zone to protect the street trees during construction. To determine the Tree Protection Zone, the diameter of the tree must be determined as follows: measure the circumference of the tree 4.5 feet above the ground, then divide that number by 3.14. This is the diameter of the tree. The Tree Protection Zone is one foot of distance from the tree trunk in all directions for every inch of tree trunk diameter For example; the fencing for a 10-inch diameter tree will be installed in a circle around the tree 10 feet from the trunk. The fence must stay intact for the duration of the construction project, and no construction materials may be placed inside the fence, nor may any equipment be operated within it. A weather-resistant sign must be affixed to the fence clearly identifying it as a Tree Protection Zone. If an underground utility line must be run within the Tree Protection Zone, it will be necessary to route the line making as little disturbance to the tree protection zone as possible, and receive approval from the Shade Tree Commission. Specific corridor(s) for site access and the driveway or parking area must be designated. As described here, the Standard Street Tree Management Plan basically creates a fenced tree protection zone leaving the area within it undisturbed during construction.
If it is impossible to fence off the full Tree Protection Zone, then a Non-Standard Street Tree Management Plan must be developed. This will require other measures to protect the root system of the tree.
Permission to remove or prune Street Trees must be obtained from the Shade Tree Commission. Prior to removal, each street tree’s diameter must be determined as described above. Street Trees that cannot be saved must be replaced after construction using this formula: For every 2 inches of tree trunk diameter damaged or destroyed, a 2.5 inch diameter replacement tree must be planted. The Shade Tree Commission must approve the species of the replacement trees. Posting guaranty of 120% of the cost of the replacement trees for a 3-year period is also required. The required Street Tree Management Plan Form is here.
Please refer to Ordinance 102-35 Section B. for more detailed information about the requirements of the Street Tree Management Plan. If you have questions, please contact the Shade Tree Commission through Borough Hall.