Head of the Harbor crafts new village tree code
Pictured Tuesday is Harbor Road in Head of the Harbor, where village officials recently passed a new tree code. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Head of the Harbor has passed a new village code to prevent the removal of trees without a permit.
The village’s board of trustees voted 5-0 at a recent board meeting to make the change.
The new code makes it unlawful to remove mature canopy trees, smaller shade-tolerant trees, evergreens or natural vegetation without a permit from the building inspector.
It applies to trees on village-owned and private property, according to Mayor Doug Dahlgard.
The code has some exceptions, including clearing to maintain roads and remove invasive species and dead or diseased trees.
The code states violators will face a fine of between $500 and $2,000 for each mature tree “removed or substantially altered” without a permit, and a maximum of $1,000 for any other violations.
Through the new code, the village also will establish a seven-member committee to assist in implementing a program for planting, maintaining, cultivating and removing trees on village property. The trustee board will appoint members annually.
Village trustee Judy Ogden said in an interview that there are between 100,000 and 200,000 trees in the village that need attention.
Dahlgard said in an interview that trees and natural vegetation in the past have been cleared indiscriminately, changing stormwater runoff patterns and creating flooding in the village.
With more clarity in the code now about what trees can be removed, it will help prevent such issues, according to the mayor.
Ogden said at the recent meeting that the new code will help the village “make sure that the trees are maintained and cared for, and try to be proactive rather than reactive.”
Head of the Harbor has passed a new village code to prevent the removal of trees without a permit.
The village’s board of trustees voted 5-0 at a recent board meeting to make the change.
The new code makes it unlawful to remove mature canopy trees, smaller shade-tolerant trees, evergreens or natural vegetation without a permit from the building inspector.
It applies to trees on village-owned and private property, according to Mayor Doug Dahlgard.
The code has some exceptions, including clearing to maintain roads and remove invasive species and dead or diseased trees.
The code states violators will face a fine of between $500 and $2,000 for each mature tree “removed or substantially altered” without a permit, and a maximum of $1,000 for any other violations.
Through the new code, the village also will establish a seven-member committee to assist in implementing a program for planting, maintaining, cultivating and removing trees on village property. The trustee board will appoint members annually.
Village trustee Judy Ogden said in an interview that there are between 100,000 and 200,000 trees in the village that need attention.
Dahlgard said in an interview that trees and natural vegetation in the past have been cleared indiscriminately, changing stormwater runoff patterns and creating flooding in the village.
With more clarity in the code now about what trees can be removed, it will help prevent such issues, according to the mayor.
Ogden said at the recent meeting that the new code will help the village “make sure that the trees are maintained and cared for, and try to be proactive rather than reactive.”
