Does the Tree Advisory Board regulate trees located on private property? NO. The TAB is an advisory body only and our work is concerned with "public trees" per the conditions laid out in the village's Public Tree Law. The Public Tree Law defines "public tree" as "Any tree located on public property, within a public easement or public right of way including trees growing in the strip of land between the edge of the street and the sidewalk. For properties not laid out on a filed subdivision plat, the public right of way includes public property only and is not intended to include the private property of any landowner."
Do I need permission to cut the trunk, branches or roots of a village-owned tree? YES. The village's Public Tree Law prohibits injury to village-owned trees. If you need to cut branches/roots/trunk of a village tree for any reason please first submit a complete Public Tree Cutting Application to the Village Clerk, 85 Main St, Cold Spring NY 10516. You can also email a completed form to [email protected]. Reasonable, straightforward requests for permission to perform minor routine pruning (for example, to maintain clearance from residential structures) will be quickly reviewed and responded to within 3-5 business days of receipt of a complete application. For major pruning or removal requests an application review will be scheduled for the next regular TAB meeting and the applicant will be notified by the TAB chairperson with instructions.
How can I request a street tree be planted in front of my house/business? If you are willing to donate the cost of the tree (between $250 to $600 depending on the appropriate cultivar and size of stock) please contact the village clerk at (845) 265-3611 or [email protected] and we'll work with you to evaluate your preferred site and get a tree in there!
What does the Tree Advisory Board do? The TAB advises the Village Board of Trustees (VBOT) on all things tree-related. Primarily we maintain and help implement a long and short view Tree Management Plan (TMP) that helps the village make the most efficient use of limited resources to care for village trees. The TMP is a document that divides up and prioritizes the seemingly infinite work of public tree maintenance in order to reduce hazards and, bit by bit, beautify the shade canopy on our sidewalks and in our parks.
You might see us with tape measures and GPS devices periodically inspecting street trees, or watering and pruning new plantings, or digging around during a root-pruning workshop. You might not see us laboring into the night updating the village tree map, researching the latest pest management protocols, or inventing realistic solutions to perennial tree-infrastructure problems--but we do that too!
Public tree maintenance is a large and lengthy task, and the village is working on a shoestring! But we are dedicated to finding alternative means of funding tree improvements: filing grant applications, putting together fundraisers, and designing fun sponsorship programs that the whole community can get behind. We also design and implement outreach and educational initiatives that help create a positive growth environment for community forestry in our village.
You can read more about our duties in the text of the village's Public Tree Law here.
What kind of tree is growing on the street in front of my house/business? Stay tuned! We are working on an interactive map which will allow you to pinpoint useful information about specific village trees. In the meantime, there are several online tree identification resources that might help you. Simple ones include: The Arbor Day Foundations's WHAT TREE IS THAT? and LEAFSNAP: An Electronic Field Guide and Cope & Winch's classic KNOW YOUR TREES. Or, just stop a member of the tree board and ask!
What is going on with the Village Tree Nursery on Kemble Avenue? Don't worry, it's on hold. A fledgling Village Tree Nursery was established by kind volunteers before the formation of the Tree Advisory Board, and the TAB is tasked with fully developing and managing it as part of its ongoing work. We are still in the process of finishing the village's draft Tree Management Plan which will outline management tasks, goals, and timelines for our entire village forest. A longer-term plan to turn the initial nursery idea into a more functional, useful part of village tree management is in the works, but further additions to the current nursery site on Kemble Avenue have been put on hold until the full Tree Management Plan is complete.
I have an idea! I have a complaint! How can I share it with the village? Please direct complaints or requests to the Village office at (845) 265-3611 or [email protected].