A. Statement of policy.
(1) Severe tree trimming poses a significant threat to the health of street trees in the Township, endangers the welfare and property of those using public rights-of-way and creates adverse aesthetic effects which denigrate the quality of life in the community and negatively impact property values.
(2) Healthful trees constituting the urban forest can aid in the conservation of vital energy resources and natural resources in the Township.
(3) Healthful trees are a valuable amenity to the urban environment, creating greater human comfort by providing shade, cooling the air through evaporation, restoring oxygen to the atmosphere, reducing glare, reducing noise levels, providing an ecological habitat for songbirds and other animal and plant species, providing for more effective transitions between different land uses and breaking the monotony of urbanized development.
(4) While it is recognized that the public rights-of-way are shared by the Township, the traveling public, the owners of adjacent properties, public utility companies and others using them with permission, it is the Shade Tree Commissiou's obligation to assure that all using the public rights-of-way do so in a manner which respects, preserves and enhances that portion of the urban forest made up of street trees growing within or adjacent to such rights-of-way.
(5) The most effective way the Shade Tree Commission can fulfill its obligation is to carefully regulate the activities of those using the public rights-of-way and to assure that they do so responsibly by the promulgation and enforcement of these regulations.
B. Permits.
(1) Any person or entity seeking to cut, trim, prune or remove all or part of any tree in the public right-of-way shall first apply for and receive a permit therefore from the STC. The application fee shall be $10 per tree or $500 for a blanket permit. Applications shall be submitted on a form available from the Secretary of the STC and from the Township Director of Public Works. The Secretary may reject any application which is not accompanied by all of the information requested on the form.
(2) No permit shall be required to remove all or part of any tree constituting an immediate hazard to life or property or to those using or occupying the public-right-of-way or where such removal is necessitated by reason of damage to the tree from storm, wind, earthquake, fire or accident. The STC may waive the requirement for a permit in cases of hardship or where the public interest requires.
(3) Permits may be granted outright or granted subject to conditions consistent with the provisions of the Township Code and these regulations. Unless specifically set forth on the permit, no permit shall be valid for a period greater than 90 days after the date of its issuance. No permit shall be granted unless the following minimum conditions are met (in all cases where the STC is referenced, that shall be taken to mean the STC, or its authorized representative):
(a) The STC has determined that there is a need for the proposed work on the tree; and
(b) The STC is satisfied that the persons who are to perform the work are qualified to do so, although the issuance of the permit shall not be construed as a warranty of the qualifications of such person; and
(c) The STC has determined that any potential detriment to the Township tree population entailed by the proposed work is justified in the individual case. In making this determination, the STC shall consider factors such as the probability that the proposed work will destroy or seriously injure the tree, the tree's health, the desirability of that species as a street tree, whether the tree's condition and size threaten serious damage to life or property, the condition and number of other street trees in the vicinity and whether there are other less onerous means of accomplishing the applicant's goals, and other criteria derived from the application of the policy statement set forth hereinabove to the individual application.
(4) The STC may condition any permit granted for the removal of a shade tree on the permitee replacing the tree with one of a size and specie approved by the STC. The cost of removal and the cost of replacemeut, if required, shall be borne by the permitee.
(5) No work pursuant to a permit may be performed where the permitee is not the owner of the property adjacent to the public right-of-way where the work is to performed unless a sign has been posted in a prominent location adjacent to the work site and visible from the public right-of-way for a period of not less than five days beforehand. Where work is to be performed on or adjacent to several properties in the same block, only one sign per block must be posted. The sign must state that tree trimming work is to be performed, the approximate date when it will be performed, the name of the entity performing it or on whose behalf it is being performed and a telephone number where interested parties may call a representative of the permitee to discuss the work. In lieu of such a sign, the permitee may provide the owners of property abutting the work with actual written notice, containing this same information, no less than five days beforehand A copy of the notice, when posted or written, shall be forwarded to the STC and the Township Manager.
(6) Public utility companies subject to the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) are subject to this permitting requirement. Utilities may apply for a blanket permit to prune around utility lines, the fee for which shall be $500. Public utilities may perform such pruning as is necessary to comply with the safety regulations of the PUC and to maintain a safe operation of their facilities, provided they shall comply with the provisions of these regulations, including the notification provisions and the specific pruning standards set forth herein. The Shade Tree Commission will modify such specific pruning standards, upon application, where the public utility company demonstrates to its satisfaction that such pruning standards will not permit it to comply with the PUC's safety regulations for a period of three years of normal tree growth following completion of such pruning.
C. Trimming standards. The primary aim of trimming is to preserve the health, beauty and longevity of trees Trimming for such purpose will also make trees safer, more functional and valuable. Practices such as stub cuts, random branch removal and topping (stubbing back the entire crown) defeat the primary aim, create hazards and drastically reduce the monetary value of trees. Therefore, such practices shall not be employed. The following standards identify trimming methods which will give maximum benefits to both trees and people and must be employed when trimming and pruning within the public right-of-way:
(1) Types of cuts.
(a) Removal of laterals.
[1] Shoulder cuts. The final cut in removing a lateral branch should be immediately beyond the branch bark ridges, preserving the branch collar. Do not make stub cuts (an inch or more beyond the branch collar). Do not make flush cuts (through the branch collar).
[2] Triple cuts. For any branch too large to be held while being cut, remove by means of the following cuts:
[a] Undercut the branch four inches to 10 inches beyond the base.
[b] Cut off the branch beyond the undercut.
[c] Remove the remaining stub via a shoulder cut as described above.
(b) Removal of terminals (tip thinning and drop crotching).
[1] Thinning "Lace out" the terminal portions of branches by cutting the terminals back to the laterals. (The basal diameter of the remaining lateral should be V3 the diameter of the terminal being removed.) Remove numerous small terminals and laterals rather than taking out a few large ones.
[2] Size reduction. To take out portions of the crown for reducing height, remove the terminals back to the laterals. Each lateral should be suitably situated to serve as the new terminal, thus establishing the crown at a lower level. The basal diameter of a lateral should be at least 1/3 the basal diameter of the terminal being removed. (Laterals smaller than this cannot function effectively as new terminals, and the effect is then similar to a stub cut.)
(2) Pruning functions. Not all of the following procedures will apply to any one tree, and two or more may be performed more or less simultaneously. In most cases, however, trimming done in the following general sequence will be more efficient and will help avoid unnecessary trimming.
(a) As a rule, not more than 1/4 of the total foliage mass should be removed at one trimming. Exceptions are:
[1] Extreme thinning of heavy crowns of brittle trees, and
[2] Severe thinning of crowns to prevent blow-down when root pruning is done.
(b) Remove branches as needed and redirect new growth to clear utility lines, pedestrian and vehicular traffic areas, buildings, streetlights, walls and other objects, as well as trees and shrubs. Do not make stub cuts. Do not cut terminals back to very small laterals. Retain a screen effect as much as possible.
(c) Remove dead, broken, diseased or markedly unthrifty brauches.
(d) Remove crossing branches and those which will become crossing branches (such as suckers, water sprouts and branches growing vigorously into the interior of the crown).
(e) Remove sharp-angled branches. Remove most branches arising at angles of less than 30°, with the exception of species which fuse at branch bases. If a narrow- angled branch needs to be retained for the sake of form, it should be lightened and restricted in growth to reduce the danger of wind breakage.
(f) Remove parallel branches. If two branches within a foot or so of each other run parallel for several feet along their main stems, the less desirable one should be taken out.
(g) Trim for balance and form. To maintain the natural shape, if a tree grows in an unbalanced manner which is atypical and unattractive, or which poses a potential hazard, remove such branches as may need to be eliminated to restore more typical form or to minimize the perceived hazard.
(h) Trim to reduce wind resistance. If a tree is shallow rooted or has a high or heavily foliaged crown, such that it is susceptible to blow-down or limb breakage in high winds, trim more frequently. It does not call for topping; beheading tall or dense trees ruins their form and vitality and intensifies wind hazards in subsequent years. This type of thinning should be done by removing a large number of small branches rather than a few large branches. The end effect should maintain most of the original form, but with a lacy openness.
(i) Exceptions. The STC may approve trimming trees in a manner not typical of the natural form of the tree specie. Such approval shall be based upon a finding that the resulting shape is necessary for the public health and safety or the health and safety of the tree.
(3) Severe tree trimming is prohibited. "Severely trimmed" shall mean the cutting of the branches and/or trunk of a tree in a manner which will substantially reduce the overall size of the tree area so as to destroy the existing symmetrical appearance or natural shape of the tree in a manner which results in the removal of main lateral branches leaving the trunk of the tree in a stub appearance.
(4) Other prohibited activities. Those activities set forth in the Upper Dublin Township Code, § 195-10, are considered prohibited activities, and, in addition, the following:
(a) Damaging or cutting the roots of a shade tree;
(b) Anchoring heavy equipment to a shade tree;
(c) Dropping or lowering any object or tree section through the canopy of a shade tree, except such as are securely fastened to ropes to control damage.
(5) Utility line clearance standards. The STC recognizes that public utilities provide a service to the public, that such service should not be subject to interruption, and that the trimming of street trees is necessary to forestall such interruption. The STC also recognizes that public utilities can trim street trees and accomplish the utility's goals while adhering to the standards set forth in these regulations. It is expected that public utilities will maintain a schedule of line clearance that will minimize interruptions while at the same time minimizing the clearance distances required from tree branches. It is the STC's view that repeating line clearance activities no less frequently than every three years is a reasonable expectation, and that the clearances set forth on the following chart represent an appropriate accommodation to the needs of public utilities if such a schedule is adhered to. Pruning to accomplish greater line clearances than are set forth below will be considered a violation of these regulations (Note: all measurements are in feet):
Rate of Tree Growth | All Public Utilities | 13.2 KV Electric Line | 34 KV Electric Line | ||||||
Over | Side | Under | Over | Side | Under | Over | Side | Under | |
Fast | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
Medium | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
Slow | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 4 |
Compatible | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 |