What Does The Scenic Roads STM Article Do?

The Scenic Roads statute, which town meeting adopted in 1977, gives special protection to trees and stone walls on designated scenic roads. Sharon has 31 formally designated scenic roads.

In the same year, the Sharon Planning Board adopted Scenic Roads Regulations, which are currently being updated to be clearer and more effective. For instance, the definitions of "cutting or removal of trees" and "violation" are made more precise, and a penalty is added to strengthen the regulations.

The obligations of homeowners, developers, landscapers, tree services, contractors--anyone planning to cut a tree or alter a stone wall on a scenic road--are not onerous. They are simply (1) to inform the tree warden and (2) to get the permission of the planning board, before taking action.

A violation is defined as "cutting or removing a tree . . . with a trunk of diameter four inches or more measured one foot from the ground; or tearing down or destroying a stone wall or a portion thereof, on a scenic road, including its right-of-way, without the prior written permission of the planning board after a public hearing."

An article appears on the warrant for the Nov. 14 fall special town meeting to add a penalty to General Bylaws, Article 11, entitled "Penalties."

The penalty for a violation of the Scenic Roads Regulations would be set at $300, as allowed in the statute and practiced in other towns such as Canton.