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Cranford trees

Cranford tree survey

The Cranford Environmental Commission is exploring ways to encourage the preservation of existing trees in the Township, as well as encouraging the planting of new trees. Trees are a vital tool to reducing flooding and storm runoff - a major issue in the township. One large tree can manage more than 1000 gallons of rainwater from a single storm.

The township has lost more than 1000 trees in the last 10 years. With this in mind, the Environmental Commission seeks to get input from township residents on a tree ordinance. The ordinance would seek to reduce indiscriminate, uncontrolled and excess destruction, removal and cutting of trees, due to their benefits to flood mitigation, as well as other benefits such as soil preservation, increased property values, and neighborhood appeal. See https://www.cwp.org/reducing-stormwater-runoff/ and https://www.arborday.org/trees/index-benefits.cfm for more information.

Please respond to the following questions.
1.I believe expanding tree cover in Cranford is an effective means of flood mitigation.
2.I am concerned with the removal of trees in Cranford (street trees, trees on municipal/school property, trees on private property).
3.I would support a municipal ordinance that would require maintaining no net loss of trees from municipal property (e.g. for each tree that is removed, a new one is planted).
Please respond to questions 4 and 5 related to large shade trees on private property. For this purpose, we are considering "large" trees to have a trunk diameter of 12" at chest height (12" dbh). This is about the diameter of a telephone pole.

Note an oak tree with 12" diameter, is about 40 years old and 40 ft tall, based on typical growth rates.
4.I would support an ordinance that would require residents to obtain a no-cost permit to remove large shade trees from private property, which would allow better tracking of the loss of trees within the township.
5.I would support an ordinance that would require residents to obtain a permit with fee to remove large shade trees from private property (but at no cost for dead trees), with permit fees going directly to a tree replacement fund, to support community tree planting projects.
6.I am a resident of Cranford, NJ.
7.Please provide other comments, suggestions or questions for the Environmental Commission to consider.