Proposed Tree Preservation Bylaw Could Have Enforcement Issues - Wellesley, MA

Proposed Tree Preservation Bylaw Could Have Enforcement Issues - Wellesley, MA Patch:
The bylaw, if drafted as a warrant article and then approved at Town Meeting March 28, would allow for tree removal required for construction and create a mechanism to maintain the tree canopy by replanting trees on a construction site, according to the Planning Board presentation Monday, Jan. 3.

The bylaw would apply to demolitions, new construction and additions that would increase a building’s footprint by 50 percent, and to trees that are 18 inches in caliper, which refers to the trunk diameter, in a setback area.

If a protected tree is removed, applicants must either replant trees at a ratio of 50 percent of the caliper inches lost or make a payment to the town Tree Bank, a site that would store removed trees, at a rate of $50 per caliper inch.