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Planning Board advances draft tree ordinance: reporting for removals, a tree fund and a debated fee increase
Summary
Staff presented a draft tree ordinance requiring residents to report tree removals, tracking to achieve no net loss, and a developer-funded tree fund. Board members suggested increasing the mitigation fee (discussion ranged from $750 in the draft to $1,000 suggested) and empowered the Environmental Commission to use funds for street and shade trees.
Somerville staff presented a draft tree ordinance April 22 that would require property owners to report tree removals and installations via a borough link, institute annual tracking to monitor net tree change, and create a developer-funded tree fund to pay for replacement plantings when on-site replacement is impractical.
Mike (borough staff) explained draft provisions that would record trees removed and installed, require reporting for removals at or above a proposed caliper threshold (the draft referenced 4 inches), and direct the borough to track net change annually. "The policy is that the borough will not have a net loss of trees throughout the municipality," Mike said, summarizing the draft’s intent. The draft included a proposed increase in the fee applied to development-related tree mitigation (the working draft changed $650 to $750), but several board members argued the fee should be higher. One member, Larry Cleveland, cited market costs, saying installing a 6-inch-caliper tree in New Jersey can range from $2,500 to $3,300, and several members suggested $1,000 as a fair, administrable jump that would not overly burden developers.
Board members favored making reporting simple for residents (some argued for reporting all removals rather than using a caliper threshold) and discussed exemptions and replacement expectations. Members expressed a preference that if a homeowner cannot replace a removed tree on their own property, the borough would use funds from the tree fund to replant in a more appropriate borough location rather than forcing an on-site requirement that may be infeasible.
The draft also calls for two appendices: Appendix A listing recommended native trees and Appendix B listing approved street-tree species. Staff will coordinate with the Environmental Commission to finalize species lists and to expand the Environmental Commission’s authority, via the ordinance language, to spend the tree fund on shade trees in addition to street trees when the annual inventory shows a deficit.
What’s next: Mike will revise the draft to reflect the board’s direction (report-all approach, clearer replacement language, fee recommendation to council) and to add the street-tree appendix; staff will consult the Environmental Commission and return a final draft at a future meeting for formal referral or a recommended fee to council.
