Should tree protection laws extend from public to private property? Rutherford, NJ

Leader Newspapers:
By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

RUTHERFORD (Sept. 16, 2009, 2:20 p.m.) — The Rutherford Shade Tree Committee wants a stiffer ordinance to protect the aging canopy of trees that lends Rutherford the moniker “Borough of Trees.”
The local borough council will soon be called upon to decide how far to go in ratcheting up regulations to keep trees healthy.
A sample revision to Rutherford’s code — prepared by the Shade Tree Committee — would extend regulation to certain trees on private property.
Like many other municipalities, Rutherford’s current ordinance emphasizes the protection of trees and plants on public property — parks, highways and streets. But, some towns and boroughs are going further, pushing regulations past the sidewalk and onto people’s lawns.