The Norwalk Ordinance Committee voted Oct. 21 to forward a rewritten Chapter 112 (tree ordinance) to the Common Council that implements language from the city’s tree master plan, tightens planting and legacy-tree standards and renames the Tree Advisory Committee as the Urban Forestry Commission.

Staff urban-forest manager Sarah Cruz told the committee the updates ‘‘come out of the tree master plan’’ and focus on aligning code definitions and standards with industry best practices and the city’s inventory. "An important part of implementing this is ensuring that our policies, our definitions, our standards, reflect those recommendations, industry best practices," she said.

Key changes: Committee members and staff said the revisions are largely definitional and structural — capitalizing defined terms, clarifying the definition of urban forest, adding a deputy tree warden role, and modernizing committee responsibilities to reflect an expanded urban-forestry program. Staff said the revisions also add clarity to the legacy-tree program and improve transparency on permitting, removals and planting processes.

Vote and next steps: Johan Lopez (committee member) moved to forward the rewritten Chapter 112 to Common Council; the committee approved the referral unanimously. Staff said the ordinance aligns internal operations and public-facing standards so that city policies and the code do not conflict.

Ending: The revised Chapter 112 will appear on the Common Council agenda for final action; staff said the changes are intended to support a growing urban-forestry program and clearer public communication about decisions on trees.