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Commission proposes policy to replace township street trees removed for safety
Summary
The commission proposed a nonbinding policy to evaluate and replace township street trees removed for safety, prioritizing replacement in the right-of-way when feasible and using the commemorative fund, grants, fees-in-lieu and donations; commissioners discussed definitions and a possible request to the Board of Commissioners for partial funding.
Chair proposed a street-tree replacement policy encouraging replacement of township trees removed for safety when planting is feasible, with species selection based on site conditions and funding from the commemorative fund, fees-in-lieu, grants, donations and corporate sponsorships. The policy as presented is nonbinding (a commission policy rather than ordinance) and allows professional judgment and exceptions where site conditions or utilities make replacement infeasible.
Commissioners discussed the need to clarify definitions (right-of-way versus street tree), to keep a clear inventory of trees removed annually and to consider asking the Board of Commissioners for modest budget support (example suggestions included $10,000) to guarantee at least one seasonal planting if donations or fees-in-lieu fluctuate. Staff indicated Leah tracks removed trees and can provide counts to inform budgeting.
