A Shade Tree Committee is established for the
purpose of regulating, planting, care and control of shade and ornamental
trees and shrubbery upon and in the streets, highways, public places,
parks and parkways of the Township, except state highways unless the
State Highway Department assents thereto and except county highways,
parks and parkways unless a county shade tree commission is operative
and gives assent thereto. The Committee members shall be residents
of the Township and shall serve without compensation.
The Shade Tree Committee shall consist of five
members appointed by the Township Committee for terms of five years,
except that those first appointed shall be on a staggered basis. All
appointments except those to fill vacancies shall be effective January
1. Any vacancy occurring by reason of death, resignation or removal
of any member shall be filled for the unexpired term by the Township
Committee.
The Committee shall organize annually by the
election of one of its members as Chairman and another as Secretary.
The Shade Tree Committee shall:
A. Recommend to the Township Committee any ordinances or amendments to existing ordinances which would affect the regulation, planting and care of shade and ornamental trees and shrubbery now located, or which may hereafter be planted, in any public highway, park or parkway, except such as are excluded pursuant to §
3-97, including the planting, trimming, spraying, care and protection thereof.
B. Act in an advisory capacity to the Washington Township
Planning Board in the areas of regulation, planting and care of shade
and ornamental trees and shrubbery.
C. Recommend to the Township Committee the removal of
any tree, or part thereof, which may pose a potential hazard to the
public safety.
D. Recommend the treatment or removal of any tree situated
upon private property which is believed to harbor a disease or insects
readily communicable to the neighboring health trees in the care of
the Township and, with the consent of the owner, enter upon private
property for that purpose, provided that the suspected condition is
first confirmed by a certificate issued by or on behalf of the New
Jersey Department of Agriculture.
E. Recommend the waiving, in whole or in part, of requirements
for shade trees where the Committee deems that an adequate natural
growth of shade trees exists on a building lot.
The Shade Tree Committee shall, upon request,
submit a proposed Shade Tree Committee budget for each calendar year.
The governing body shall annually appropriate, in its budget, such
funds as it deems necessary for regulating, planting, trimming and
care of shade and ornamental trees and shrubbery in the Township of
Washington, Morris County, New Jersey.