The Town Tree Board on Jan. 12 approved two amendments to the municipal urban forest ordinance that clarify the board’s responsibilities and change which removal permits require board review.

The board’s presiding officer proposed revising section 263-3(e) to make clear "the tree board shall perform the function specifically assigned to the board in sections 263-4 and 263-11," rather than implying the board serves as an appeals board, and the change passed after a motion and second.

The action followed a longer revision to section 263-4(d) that the board approved to streamline permit reviews. The adopted language designates the director of public works (or designee) as the municipal arborist and requires the town planning and zoning administrator or the municipal arborist to receive permit applications and notify the Tree Board. It also limits board review to "any application requesting the removal of 3 or more trees" within the notice time frame or no later than 45 days; applications to remove three or fewer trees will not require board review unless the arborist or planning and zoning administrator determines "unique or unusual" circumstances apply. "Ordinarily, the director of public works and her designee shall be the municipal arborist unless the town administrator determines otherwise," the motion text said.

Board members described the change as an effort to reduce administrative burden caused by routine single-tree permit requests. The presiding officer said most recent permit applications were for single trees described as "leaning," "dead," or "too close to the house," and that such routine cases had generally been approved without affecting the town’s overall canopy.

Board member Smussen urged including a clause to protect especially notable trees, suggesting the phrase "unique, unusual, or valuable" to capture very old or rare specimens. The board agreed that determinations about whether a tree qualifies under that standard would be made by the municipal arborist (Jay) and the planning and zoning administrator (Sarah Franklin), and that staff could refine the wording later. "If it seems to be very straightforward, let's let them just approve the permit instead of bringing one" to the board, the presiding officer said.

Because the town's permit process includes a 45-day response window and the board sometimes receives applications late in that window, members also agreed to ask town staff to tentatively schedule regular monthly meetings so they would normally have at least 30 days to collect information. The board settled, by agreement, on meeting the first Tuesday of each month at 5:00 p.m., and said meetings could be canceled if there was no business. The presiding officer noted that a new permit-tracking software is expected to trigger email notifications to board members when applications are filed.

Both ordinance revisions were approved by voice vote after motions and seconds; there was no recorded roll-call tally given in the discussion. The board adjourned at the conclusion of the meeting.

Next steps: staff will work with the arborist and the planning and zoning administrator to refine any remaining wording, the town will implement permit-notification software, and the board will meet monthly going forward unless items are not on the agenda.