Westfield Steps Up Tree Protection

WESTFIELD, NJ – In a move designed to counterbalance development in town, the Westfield Town

Council voted unanimously to adopt an updated version of the Town’s Tree Preservation
Ordinance on June 4.

“The goal of this ordinance was to be more proactive about protecting our trees,
particularly with regard to the ongoing development in Town,” said Mayor Shelley
Brindle. “These more stringent requirements are being implemented with an eye toward
thoughtful preservation throughout Westfield, including neighboring property
notification requirements, increased fees for removal applications and penalty fines, and
mandated donations to the tree trust fund above a certain removal threshold.”

The key updates include:

• Adding circumstances under which tree removal permits and tree preservation
• plans are required.
• Requiring protective barriers during construction in a tree preservation plan.
• Changing certain procedures regarding the processing of tree removal permits.
• Requiring a contribution to the tree trust fund when any applicant seeks to
• remove more than 75 percent of trees on a site.
• Requiring notice to adjoining property owners of tree removals covered by the
• ordinance.
• Increasing certain application fees, fines, and penalties.

“I want to thank the members of our Tree Preservation Commission for their ongoing
work to propose these important updates,” Brindle said. “While we focus on
preserving trees, we are also actively planting new ones, 375 of which have been
completed by the DPW so far this year.”

The full text of the ordinance can be found here.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter by clicking here. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading our Apple iOS app here, or by visiting the Google Play store for the Android app here.