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Planning Board, commission discuss challenges drafting land-clearing bylaw
Summary
Planning Board members and island partners are coordinating on a land-clearing bylaw but report challenges because lot sizes vary across Tisbury and enforcement responsibility is unclear; the Tree Warden's authority is limited to trees over public ways.
Planning Board member Anne McDonough and representatives from the Martha's Vineyard Commission described ongoing work to draft a land-clearing bylaw for Tisbury and the island. McDonough said a town committee is coordinating locally while Sakiko Isomichi from the Martha's Vineyard Commission is coordinating an island-wide discussion; commissioners acknowledged that varied lot sizes and enforcement mechanisms make drafting difficult.
Commissioners also clarified that the Tree Warden's current role is limited to reviewing trees overhanging public streets or located in a public way, and that land clearing generally falls outside the Tree Warden's authority. Chairman Thomas Robinson, who has a background in arboriculture and forestry, indicated interest in participating in Planning Board discussions.
