Arlington Tree Committee - Report to Town Meeting
Submitted June 2, 2004
The Arlington Tree Committee was formed by 2003 Town Meeting and given this charge: "The Committee will report to the 2004 Annual Town Meeting on the advisability of enacting a Town bylaw that would provide for a program to preserve and protect shade trees on public and private property within the town. The Committee will investigate other cities' and towns' enactments which have been passed for this purpose."
Members were appointed in November, and since then we have done research, communicated with other local and state groups, and met four times. The committee's activities have been shaped by a US Department of Agriculture publication called Guidelines for Developing and Evaluating Tree Ordinances, which emphasizes that it is unwise to propose a new law unless you have gathered basic facts about the community forest, how it is regulated and managed, and what local goals are for its future. Below are some questions the Tree Committee has explored, along with summaries of what we have learned so far.
The survey distributed at the first Town Meeting session yielded information that helped us prepare this report, and we thank everyone who responded and especially those who added comments and suggestions.
What is the status of Arlington's community forest?
In 1998, community forester Jane Calvin from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management designed and led a statistical survey of trees visible from Arlington's streets, focusing on those in curbside strips and on private property within 20 feet of the curb. Trained volunteers (including Vision 2020 chair Jane Howard and former AHS science teacher Don Bockler) used methods developed at Cornell University to assess the type, size, and condition of trees in randomly selected blocks in three sections of town; these data were extrapolated and weighted to provide town-wide information about Arlington's community forest. The main findings were:
- Approximately 24,500 trees, representing 69 species, are located on public and private land within 20 feet of Arlington's streets.
- Although many different species are present in small numbers, Norway maples account for 40.5% of the total. Oaks represent more than 9%, and ashes and hemlocks each account for about 4% of the forest.
- Although 50% of trees were in good condition, approximately 44% were in fair to poor condition. Many will need to be removed and replaced during the next 10-20 years, and town budgets will need to take this into account.
- Based on survey results, the estimated replacement value of Arlington's community forest was calculated to be nearly $61 million - nearly double the present school budget.
What town resources are invested in tree management?
FY 2004 budget - 8 Tree Division positions: grounds superintendent/tree warden, forestry supervisor, working foreman/tree climber, 3 tree climbers, and 2 motor equipment operators. Six of these 8 jobs are filled, and due to DPW cutbacks these employees work on cemetery, traffic islands, flags and holiday lights, etc., as well as tree pruning, removal, and planting.
Proposed FY 2005 budget - 1 tree climber position eliminated. DPW Director Sanchez plans to fill the position that was open in 2004.
What laws and regulations govern tree management in Arlington?
Chapter 87: General Laws of Massachusetts
This law applies only to the planting, trimming, and removal of shade trees bordering public ways; it does not cover those in public parks, on private property, or beside state highways. It makes the town tree warden and his deputies responsible for care and control of these public shade trees, and specifies how they should be removed and replaced. The town must provide advance notice of removal; private citizens who trim or remove public trees are subject to fines.
Town of Arlington Conservation Committee Regulations - Wetlands Protection (Section 20 - Vegetation removal and replacement)
This bylaw protects trees and other vegetation within 100 feet of wetlands, streams, ponds and lakes, and within 200 feet or perennial rivers. The bylaw ranks "large wooded trees" as having greater habitat value than any other plants. If trees are removed because they are diseased, pose a safety hazard, or need to be removed so that soil can be restructured for bank stabilization, the bylaw specifies the size and type of trees that can be replanted, favoring native species.
What are the next steps for the Tree Committee?
Continue to investigate the advisability of a tree bylaw. We do not have enough information to propose a bylaw or conclude that one is unnecessary. Only 83 TM members, one-third of the total, responded to our tree survey; of those, 10 wrote comments indicating that the town does not need a tree protection bylaw. The opinions of 169 TM members and other Arlingtonians are unknown. We hope the tree website will provide an opportunity to see what education can accomplish and to discover whether residents want any kind of tree ordinance. We will report to Town Meeting again in 2005.
Get the tree website up and running: The committee is already working with Cowen Design (a local graphics/web design company) to create an Arlington tree website. It will feature materials that Town Meeting members identified as helpful, including DPW tree removal notices, guidelines for selecting, planting, and pruning various trees; listings of certified arborists; and recommended books about trees. We also hope to create a directory of notable Arlington trees, publish alerts about outbreaks of tree disease, and feature tree-related activities for children.
Work with town to regain Tree City USA certification. Arlington's Tree City USA certification must be restored so that our community will be eligible for grants to will help raise community awareness of urban forestry issues, provide educational materials, and subsidize planting and maintenance of public trees. We propose to assist the town, which must do the actual filing.
Improve posting of tree removal notification and hearings. Of 83 TM members who responded to the tree survey, 3 reported seeing a notice affixed to a tree that was about to be removed and 2 had seen such notices in the Arlington Advocate; the remaining 94% of respondents did not recall ever seeing a tree-removal notice. The committee proposes to work with the Department of Public Works and the new Information Technology Advisory Committee to post tree-related notices on the web.
Expand relationships with local and state groups. The Tree Committee hopes to work with town boards and commissions, volunteer organizations (such as Walking in Arlington), and nonprofits (including the various "friends of parks" groups) to promote better management of Arlington's tree resources, increase awareness of notable and historic trees, and make tree-related information available to as many residents as possible.
Submitted by: Walter Phillips, Clarissa Rowe, Ed Trembly, Bill Jones, and Patricia Thomas