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Narberth Shade Tree Commission says borough directive could halt spring community planting
Summary
Commissioners told a meeting they received a borough email limiting planting funds to trees that meet the borough's ordinance definition of street/shade trees, prompting plans to request clarification and possibly postpone the spring 2026 community planting.
At a Shade Tree Commission meeting, commissioners said they received an email from borough staff indicating spending for the spring planting would be limited to trees that meet the borough's street-tree/ordinance definition, a change that could cancel the commission's planned spring planting of about 38 to 40 trees. Speaker 1 raised the email and asked the group to pursue clarification and a quick meeting with borough officials and council members, including a staff member they referred to as "Maggie."
Commissioners discussed immediate next steps: Speaker 1 volunteered to draft an email requesting a meeting and to propose that two or three council members join. They outlined two scenarios to prepare for: if the borough holds to the new restriction, the commission would reduce or cancel its spring order; if the borough reverses or clarifies the directive, the commission would proceed but may order fewer trees or source trees from alternate nurseries. Speaker 2 suggested the commission could rely on Tree Authority or other nurseries if the borough's decision prevents the planned order.
The group also flagged two homeowner issues unrelated to the immediate schedule: two magnolias planted previously need replacement with the correct cultivar. Commissioners agreed replacing those trees is not urgently time-sensitive.
Commissioners noted two possible root causes for the borough message: (1) an interpretation of the current 1998 street-tree ordinance that limits planting-funded trees to those explicitly defined as street trees, and (2) a budgetary constraint at the borough level. Several members stressed they had previously worked on an amended street-tree ordinance that had gone far in review but was never fully implemented. Speaker 2 said the commission should ask whether the change is policy/legal (an ordinance interpretation) or purely budgetary and, if budgetary, whether a smaller order could be accommodated under existing funds.
No formal action (motion) was taken on the planting itself during the meeting; commissioners voted only to approve the January minutes. Speaker 1 said they would draft the message for review by commissioners before sending it to borough staff. The commission agreed to try to schedule a meeting with borough staff by the end of the week to get clarity before PHS (the nursery/vendor) order deadlines.
