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Pompton Lakes staff seek small change to tree ordinance to exempt invasive species from replacement requirement
Summary
Borough forester and staff recommended amending the DEP model tree removal ordinance so property owners who remove invasive, nonnative trees would not be charged fees or replacement obligations; council indicated no objection and the change will be scheduled for a future ordinance.
Pompton Lakes staff told the Mayor and Council during a workshop item that they plan to propose a minor amendment to the borough's tree removal ordinance, which was adopted last year based on a Department of Environmental Protection model.
Borough staff and the borough forester recommended clarifying that nonnative invasive tree species would be exempt from the ordinance's replacement schedule. In practice, that would mean a resident who removes an invasive tree — defined by the New Jersey Division of Forestry and the DEP as species that cause economic or environmental harm — would not have to plant a replacement tree or pay the fee in lieu of replanting required for removal of desirable native trees.
Council members asked whether bamboo would be covered; staff noted bamboo had already been addressed separately in borough rules as prohibited, and that the forester and staff would make determinations using the state's promulgated invasive species list. No council member objected to the proposed change during the workshop, and staff said the revision would be placed on an upcoming ordinance agenda for formal introduction and adoption.
