(Not sure if this is behind a paywall)
‘My Property, My Trees’: New Tree-Cutting Law Divides N.Y. Town
A Westchester County suburb updated its law about tree removals from yards, upsetting tree advocates, who want stricter rules, and residents who don’t want to be told what to do.
When Robert Herbst returned to his hometown about 30 miles north of New York City in 1992, he wanted his children to be immersed in the lush greenery of his childhood. But over the decades, he noticed more trees coming down to make way for bigger houses.
Mr. Herbst, a lawyer, and other like-minded residents of Mamaroneck, N.Y., view the vanishing trees as a serious threat in the era of climate change.
“We should be protecting trees for our own survival,” said Jacob Levitt, a dermatologist who lives in Mamaroneck. “It’s suicidal not to do it.”
But some residents say they should have the right to remove any and all trees on their properties to make way for more sunlight or a home expansion, or simply because they want them gone.
Recently, the debate has become more heated because of a new law that expands the town’s oversight of where and when trees can be cut down.
Mamaroneck’s old tree law was drafted in the 1980s and required tree removal permits only on lots 20,000 square feet and larger. The new measure, enacted in February, requires permits on smaller lots that make up about 80 percent of the town that is covered by the law.
Homeowners no longer need to explain their removal requests, describe the trees or let their neighbors know a permit has been issued. They have to either replace removed trees or get approval to donate $300 per tree to a planting fund instead. No permit is needed to remove dangerous or dead trees, which can become a hazard. Otherwise, small properties can remove up to three trees a year; on larger lots, up to seven.
“It’s just a regulated way of cutting down trees,” said Andrea Hirsch, a local lawyer who is representing a group of tree advocates to challenge the new law in court. She added that the new law no longer requires an environmental review before removals, and that property owners can get approval to exceed the per-year cap if trees interfere with a desired use of the property, like putting a swing set in the backyard.
Some homeowners support the law, but feel it is an overreach. “My property, my trees,” wrote John Phillipson, a longtime resident, in an online comment, adding, “We are overregulated by government as it is.”
‘My Property, My Trees’: New Tree-Cutting Law Divides N.Y. Town
A Westchester County suburb updated its law about tree removals from yards, upsetting tree advocates, who want stricter rules, and residents who don’t want to be told what to do.
When Robert Herbst returned to his hometown about 30 miles north of New York City in 1992, he wanted his children to be immersed in the lush greenery of his childhood. But over the decades, he noticed more trees coming down to make way for bigger houses.
Mr. Herbst, a lawyer, and other like-minded residents of Mamaroneck, N.Y., view the vanishing trees as a serious threat in the era of climate change.
“We should be protecting trees for our own survival,” said Jacob Levitt, a dermatologist who lives in Mamaroneck. “It’s suicidal not to do it.”
But some residents say they should have the right to remove any and all trees on their properties to make way for more sunlight or a home expansion, or simply because they want them gone.
Recently, the debate has become more heated because of a new law that expands the town’s oversight of where and when trees can be cut down.
Mamaroneck’s old tree law was drafted in the 1980s and required tree removal permits only on lots 20,000 square feet and larger. The new measure, enacted in February, requires permits on smaller lots that make up about 80 percent of the town that is covered by the law.
Homeowners no longer need to explain their removal requests, describe the trees or let their neighbors know a permit has been issued. They have to either replace removed trees or get approval to donate $300 per tree to a planting fund instead. No permit is needed to remove dangerous or dead trees, which can become a hazard. Otherwise, small properties can remove up to three trees a year; on larger lots, up to seven.
“It’s just a regulated way of cutting down trees,” said Andrea Hirsch, a local lawyer who is representing a group of tree advocates to challenge the new law in court. She added that the new law no longer requires an environmental review before removals, and that property owners can get approval to exceed the per-year cap if trees interfere with a desired use of the property, like putting a swing set in the backyard.
Some homeowners support the law, but feel it is an overreach. “My property, my trees,” wrote John Phillipson, a longtime resident, in an online comment, adding, “We are overregulated by government as it is.”
