The purposes of the Scenic Road Bylaws are to:
A. Preserve and enhance the natural beauty and historic character of Mansfield's scenic roads.
B. Protect all trees and stone walls within the Town-owned right-of-way from illegal removal or cutting, injury or degradation.
C. Provide a process by which application for removal of trees or stone walls along a scenic road may be evaluated while preserving the scenic, historic, and other community values which help define the character of the Town of Mansfield's landscape.
These regulations are adopted in accordance with MGL c. 40, § 15C.
As used in this bylaw, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CUTTING or REMOVAL The felling of a tree or displacement or destruction of a stone wall by hand or mechanical device.
MAINTENANCE Cleaning, sweeping, sanding, and plowing of the roadway and trimming of grass, weeds, or brush within the right-of-way.
PAVING WORK The surfacing or resurfacing, in whole or in part, of the existing roadway or installation of driveways, accessways, or streets when such driveways, accessways, or streets enter onto a scenic way.
RECONSTRUCTION The rebuilding of roadway within the existing road layout.
REPAIR Make improvements to the existing roadway surface, its shoulders, guardrails, bridges, or adjacent sanitary sewer or drainage structures.
SCENIC ROAD Any street or way within the Town of Mansfield where such scenic road status has been duly voted at Town Meeting in accordance with MGL c. 40, § 15C.
TREE Any deciduous or nondeciduous wood perennial plant having a trunk, branches, leaves and a caliper of 1 1/2 inches measured one foot above the ground.
Enforcement of this bylaw shall be by the Tree Warden. Any person who fails to obtain written consent to remove trees or stone walls prior to doing so shall be fined a minimum of $50 per violation. Each tree cut or stone wall removed shall be considered a separate violation.
The provisions of this bylaw are hereby declared to be severable. Any provisions herein held to be invalid shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this bylaw.