[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Baldwinsville 2-19-1991 by L.L. No. 1-1991 (Ch. 66 of the 1971 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Littering — See Ch. 213.
Property maintenance — See Ch. 248.
Streets and sidewalks — See Ch. 292.
Subdivision of land — See Ch. 298.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Tree Ordinance of the Village of Baldwinsville, County of Onondaga, State of New York."
The Board of Trustees hereby finds and declares that the preservation and maintenance of trees on public property is necessary to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the Village of Baldwinsville in that trees on public property provide necessary shade, green space and aesthetic appeal, provide environmental benefits and generally enhance the quality of life. It is the intent of the Board of Trustees, by the adoption of this chapter, to provide for:
A. 
The protection and preservation of trees on public property and street rights-of-way.
B. 
The preservation of an acceptable level of green foliage on our streets and public property.
C. 
The replacement of those trees which are removed due to disease or development.
D. 
Ensuring that proper street trees are planted in new developments and individual lot construction.
The following terms shall have the following respective meanings unless the context requires otherwise:
CROWN
All portions of a tree, including the trunk and roots, such as branches, leaves, flowers and the foliage.
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
The department of the Village which shall have jurisdiction over public trees.
PARKS
All public parks no matter how individually named.
PERSON
Any individual, organization, corporation or association of persons; the singular number shall include the plural.
PLANNING BOARD
That board appointed by the Village Board of Trustees which is authorized and empowered to approve plats pursuant to the provisions of § 7-728 of the Village Law of the State of New York.[1]
PROPERTY LINE
The outer edge of a street or highway.
PUBLIC PLACES
Includes, but are not limited to, all grounds used by the Village, Village streets and Village-owned real property.
PUBLIC TREES
All shade and ornamental trees now or hereafter growing on any street, park or public place.
ROOT SYSTEM
That portion of the tree below grade which extends to the outermost dripline of a tree.
STREET or HIGHWAY
The entire width of every public right-of-way when any part thereof is open to the use of the public, as a matter of right, for purposes of vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
STREET TREE
Any tree within the street right-of-way.
TREE
Any woody plant having at least one well-defined trunk at least 2 1/2 inches in diameter measured at a height of 12 inches above the natural grade and having a clearly defined crown.
TREE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
That committee appointed annually by the Mayor, comprised of citizens at large whose interest is in the preservation, planting and maintenance of the Village trees. The Superintendent of Public Works and a member of the Village Planning Board shall be ex officio members of the "Tree Advisory Committee."
TREE LAWN
That part of a street or highway, not covered by sidewalk or other paving, lying between the property line and that portion of the street or highway used for vehicular traffic.
TREE WORK
Includes, but is not limited to, pruning, shaping, thinning, cabling, stump removal, root grinding, fertilizing, removal, planting, spraying, insect and disease control, etc., of a tree.
UTILITIES
Those private or public entities which provide electricity, gas, sewer, water, telephone and cable television to properties within the Village.
VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES TREE COMMITTEE
That committee comprised of elected trustees that are appointed by the Mayor annually to serve on said committee. This Committee may also be referred to as the "Trustees Tree Committee" herein.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
A. 
The Department of Public Works under the Superintendent of Public Works is responsible for the performance of all tree work under the oversight of the Village Board of Trustees.
B. 
The Tree Advisory Committee shall recommend to the proper authority the type and kind of trees to be planted upon such municipal streets or parts of municipal streets or in parks or on new single- or multiple-lot subdivisions as is designated. Further, said Committee shall study the problems and determine the needs of the Village of Baldwinsville in connection with its tree planting program and assist the Board of Trustees and the citizens of the Village in the dissemination of news and information regarding selection, planting and maintenance of trees within the corporate limits of the Village, whether the same be on private or public property, and to make such recommendations from time to time to the Board of Trustees as to desirable legislation concerning the tree program and activities for the Village. The Tree Advisory Committee shall serve without pay.
C. 
The Board of Trustees Tree Committee shall meet regularly with the Tree Advisory Committee and bring to the Village Board reports of activity, items requiring Village Board action, recommend ordinance amendments and tree budget recommendations.
D. 
The Village Superintendent of Public Works shall have the authority to administer the rules and regulations of the Arboricultural Specifications and Standards of Practice governing the planting, maintenance, removal, fertilization, pruning and bracing of trees on the streets or other public sites in the municipality and shall direct, regulate and control the tree work for all trees growing now or hereafter in any public area of the Village of Baldwinsville. The Superintendent shall cause the provisions of this chapter to be enforced. In his absence, these duties shall be the responsibility of a qualified alternate designated by the Village Board of Trustees.
A. 
No persons or utility shall plant, spray, fertilize, treat, prune, remove, cut above ground, disturb the root system or otherwise disturb any public tree or shrub on any street, park or public place. Further, no person shall fasten or attach to any tree any sign, poster, bill, notice or advertisement of any kind.
B. 
No person or utility shall cause or permit any brine, oil, gasoline, liquid dye or other substance deleterious to tree life to lie, leak, pour, flow or drip on or into the soil about the base of a tree at a point where such substance may in any manner injure such tree.
C. 
No person shall fasten or cause to be fastened any animal to a tree in any street or public place or permit any animal owned by him or in his charge to stand so near any such tree that the tree may be gnawed or otherwise injured by the animal.
D. 
No person or utility shall excavate any ditches, tunnels or trenches or lay any drive within a radius of 10 feet from any public tree without first obtaining written permission from the Superintendent of Public Works. No person shall deposit, place, store or maintain upon any public place of the Village any stone, brick, sand, concrete or other materials which may impede the free passage of water, air and fertilizer to the roots of any tree growing therein, except by written permission of the Superintendent of Public Works. In case where damages from construction, excavation and/or material deposits result in the destruction and/or removal of a tree, the person or utility responsible for that damage shall replace that tree with a tree of equivalent dollar value in the vicinity of the removed tree or make a compensatory payment as outlined below in § 317-6.
E. 
No trees shall be planted or allowed to grow on private or public lands within the limits of, or which will interfere with, any drainage, sewer, water or utility easement.
F. 
No person, utility or property owner shall remove a tree from the tree lawn for the purpose of construction or for any other reason without first filing application and procuring written permission from the Superintendent of Public Works.
A. 
Whenever any tree shall be planted or set out in conflict with the provisions of this section, it shall be lawful for the Village Public Works Department to remove or cause removal of the same, and the cost thereof shall be assessed and charged to the owner of the premises involved and shall be collected in the manner provided by law.
B. 
Replacement of removed trees shall meet the standards of size, species and placement as provided for in a permit issued by the Superintendent of Public Works. The person or property owner shall bear the cost of removal and replacement of all trees removed.
C. 
Any person, utility or property owner who has removed a public tree without obtaining the appropriate Village authorization shall replace that tree with a tree of equivalent dollar value in the vicinity of the removed tree. The value of the tree will be determined in accordance with the Guide for Establishing Values of Trees and Other Plants, published by the International Society of Arboriculture. If no suitable location exists in the vicinity of the tree removed or if the replacement tree is of lesser value, the person causing the tree to be removed shall make a compensatory payment to the Village equal to the difference in value between the tree removed and any replacement tree. Such compensatory payment shall be paid into a fund established by the Village Treasurer for that purpose and used solely for the purpose of enhancing the urban forest.
D. 
Any person desiring to have tree work performed on a public tree shall make his request in writing to the Superintendent of Public Works for review and written approval.
It shall be the duty of any person or persons owning or occupying real property bordering on any street upon which property there may be trees and shrubs to prune such trees or shrubs in such manner that they will not obstruct or shade the streetlights, obstruct the passage of pedestrians on sidewalks, obstruct vision of traffic signs or obstruct view of any street or alley intersection. The minimum clearance of any overhanging portion thereof shall be seven feet over sidewalks or tree lawns and 12 feet over all streets, except truck thoroughfares which shall have clearance of 16 feet. Should any person or persons owning real property bordering on any street fail to prune trees or shrubs as hereinabove provided, the Superintendent of Public Works is authorized to order such person or persons, within 20 days after receipt of written notice, to so prune such trees or shrubs.
A. 
Any order herein shall be served by mailing a copy of the order to the last known address of the property owner, by certified mail.
B. 
When a person to whom an order is directed shall fail to comply within the specified time, it shall be lawful for the Village to prune such trees or shrubs and be cost thereof shall be assessed and charged to the owner of the premises involved and shall be collected in the manner provided by law.
Trees which are acceptable or unacceptable for planting shall adhere to the respective list adopted by the Village Board of Trustees.
Whenever the Superintendent of Public Works shall determine that any tree on private property, by reason of its condition or its intrusion (including intrusion of roots) into public property, constitutes a hazard to vehicular or pedestrian traffic, the use of fire apparatus, an interference with streetlighting or an interference with maintenance of public property, the Superintendent of Public Works may issue an order to the owner or owners of said property to prune or remove said tree or its roots, at his or their own expense, so that it will no longer constitute such hazard or interference, or such tree may be pruned or removed by the Village, and the expense of such pruning or removal shall be assessed and charged to the owner of the premises involved and shall be collected in the manner provided by law.
A. 
Application data. The Village may allow plantings by other persons, subject to approval, upon application to the Superintendent of Public Works. The application shall state the number of trees to be set out; the location, grade, species and cultivar, the variety of each tree; the method of planting; and such other information as the Superintendent of Public Works shall find reasonably necessary to a fair determination of whether a permit should be issued.
B. 
Improper planting. Whenever any tree shall be planted or set out in conflict with the provisions of this section, it shall be lawful for the Superintendent of Public Works to remove or cause removal of the same, and the cost thereof shall be assessed and charged to the owner of the premises involved and shall be collected in the manner provided by law.
C. 
New construction plantings. Builders on single lots shall make payment to the Village for a minimum of two trees per lot at the time of building permit issuance. Builders in subdivisions shall make payment to the Village, at the time of building permit issuance, in accordance with the tree planting schedule, as approved by the Planning Board, for each lot. Where field conditions do not permit plantings as specified per the tree schedule, the Superintendent may adjust plantings to fit conditions.
D. 
Fee. All public tree plantings shall be performed by the Village of Baldwinsville Department of Public Works, at a fee to be paid by the builder to the Village prior to building permit issuance. The fee for each tree shall be set by the Village Board and may be amended from time to time.
E. 
Right-of-way requirements. All subdivision plans shall provide for an area for a tree easement. The tree easement shall be a five-foot-wide strip of land from the street and utility rights-of-way or easements as is commonly associated with the street Trees planted in accordance with this section shall be within this five-foot reserved area. Said trees will be planted and maintained by the Village for a period of five years from date of planting, after which time the five-foot easement shall lapse and the tree(s) shall become the property of the lot owner.
No person shall hinder, prevent, delay or interfere with the Superintendent of Public Works or any of his assistants while engaged in carrying out the execution or enforcement of this chapter; provided, however, that nothing herein shall be construed as an attempt to prohibit the pursuit of any remedy, legal or equitable, in any court of competent jurisdiction for the protection of property rights by the owner of any property within the municipality.
Any person aggrieved, affected or interested in any decision relative to public trees shall have the right, within 20 days from the date of decision or within 20 days of receipt of notice of such decision, to appeal to the Village Board of Trustees, which shall review the decision and make a final determination.
Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall commit an offense and shall be punishable by a fine not exceed $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or both. The destruction or injury of each tree shall be deemed a separate offense.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
A. 
The Village of Baldwinsville hereby adopts the Arboricultural Specifications and Standards of Practice of the International Society of Arboriculture as published under A Standard Municipal Tree Ordinance, latest edition, as amended by the Village Board (copy of which is available for review).
B. 
All tree work done by or in the Village of Baldwinsville shall conform to these specifications and standards.