FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2021
MEDIA CONTACTS: Gordon Tepper, Rebecca Cheng and Michael Anderson | (516) 869-7794

Town Approves New Tree Policy and Tree-related Local Laws

North Hempstead, NY – Supervisor Judi Bosworth, Council Member Veronica Lurvey, and the Town Board recently approved a series of amendments to update the Town’s tree code and policy pertaining to tree preservation and removal. The effort included significant public participation and was designed to, among other things, preserve trees, increase the tree canopy cover, and ensure that the right types of trees are planted in the right places.

“The newly enacted provisions to the tree code and policy are the culmination of an almost year-long effort by the Town to seek comments from the North Hempstead community regarding the proposals,” said Supervisor Bosworth. “The adopted changes were crafted in large part based on resident input, and we are so proud of the level of participation they provided. The result is a tree code and policy that will positively benefit our environment and communities for future generations.”

Some of the highlights include:

• Updated legislative intent detailing the importance of preserving existing trees, including environmental and aesthetic benefits trees provide and acknowledging that trees help moderate climactic extremes.
• Establishment of a Tree Preservation Fund to be spent on tree plantings and other tree related initiatives.
• Re-establishment of the Tree Advisory Committee that will include members of the public and an arborist. The code provides a list of specific tasks for the committee to work on and provide input, including a tree master plan, recommendations for trees to be planted, creating a plan to assess the Town’s tree inventory and canopy cover, plans to manage and address ivy growth, and more.
• Increase in the size of replacement trees for public and private property: must be three inches in diameter measured at 4 ½ feet.
• Additional requirements to permit applications for a tree removal on private property, including providing a photo of the tree to be removed.
• Clarifies requirement about replanting trees when a tree was removed
• The Tree Advisory Committee will help determine the locations for “Mini-Groves” which will include the planting of six or more native trees near each other, as part of an effort to increase the tree canopy cover.
• Tree removal notices and other tree related information will be included on the Town’s website. Residents can sign up to receive tree removal notices via email for trees proposed to be removed within their zip code.