Council continues tree ordinance discussion

The biggest sticking point on an extensive proposed tree ordinance in Winthrop appears to be the amount of oversight the town will have on the removal and placement of trees on private property.

Earlier this year, the council was asked to consider an ordinance change related to the planting of trees tied into new development in town. Council Vice President Suzanne Swope lobbied for a more inclusive, overarching ordinance that would cast a wider net in regulating tree growth, planting, removal and other arboreal concerns in Winthrop.

Last week, the council held a public hearing on the new proposed ordinance, with members of the Winthrop Tree Committee speaking in favor of the document.

“What I would say with this now is that it is evolving in various drafts as we speak and we are going to continue this,” said Council President Jim Letterie.

Swope said she worked with the tree committee on the ordinance, using an existing tree ordinance in Brookline and other communities as a jumping off point.

“We looked at other places that had the same kind of rules about trees, and it turns out that very few in the whole Commonwealth have anything to say about private trees,” said Swope. “Mostly, it is only about public trees, but there are a handful of towns that do make a case for controlling, or at least talking about the regulations regarding private trees.”

Swope said the tree committee has looked at those ordinances to see what might work in Winthrop.

The council vice president said the proposed ordinance was presented to town counsel James Cipoletta. Swope said Cipoletta indicated that the ordinance was in good shape, except for the part regulating trees on private property.

“That is a very important of this, as we are cutting down more trees, as the tree board has said, then we are planting,” said Swope. “So we will never get this done unless we can help people understand the importance of keeping trees. I hear often that trees are being cut down, even on the property I live on, without any vote or anything.”

Swope said that if Winthrop is going to build a community where it protects the environment, it has to do something about the private tree ordinance.

“We’re just going to have to keep working on it, and we’ll send the drafts back to you so it gives us an opportunity to at least record and find other ways to plant trees that are taken down so that we are not losing our tree canopy,” said Swope.

Swope said that by the next town council meeting, there might be an opportunity to present a further revised version of the tree ordinance.

Tree committee member Kim Witthaus said a strong tree ordinance would provide critical benefits to the town.

“Winthrop’s current tree protections can be considered meager when compared to the tree ordinances and programs currently found in the Commonwealth and across the country,” said Witthaus. “For too long, the absence of protections have allowed trees to be removed in Winthrop for the flimsiest of reasons. Our canopy is less than 10 percent, fully half or three quarters less than what can be expected in the community with a healthy forest.

“It is time to provide tree protection and tree replacement in a comprehensive manner grounded in the factors of ecological, economic, and health benefits of a substantial tree canopy.”