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Along with the dwindling number of trees on public lands, city officials have growing concerns about how many trees are being cut down on private property.
By Jim Clark
An order was put forward and approved at the latest regular meeting of the City of Somerville Board of Aldermen by Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang concerning the preservation of trees on private property within the city.
The order asks specifically that, In the interest of tree preservation in the City of Somerville, that the City Solicitor draft a revision of the City’s tree ordinance to include restrictions and regulations on cutting trees on private property of six inches in diameter or larger, and provide an explanation of how the proposed revised ordinance differs from the ones that Cambridge, Lexington and Newton have already passed to protect trees on private property.
Niedergang pointed out to the Board that other communities such as Newton, Cambridge and Lexington already have protections in place for trees on private property.
“I feel a bit funny bringing this forward given that so many trees on public property have been cut down despite all of our best efforts,” Niedergang told the Board. “Nonetheless, other locations in our area, Cambridge, Lexington and Newton, do have protections for trees on private property, and I’ve seen just in my neighborhood – on Porter St., for example – a developer cut down three or four mature trees on their property. Some of which I don’t think needed to be cut down in order to build the house that they’re building there.”
Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang put forward the order for the city to look into tree removal issues on private property.
Niedergang expressed his view that the city needs to be doing everything it can to protect its trees.
“Normally, I would ask that this go to Legislative Matters”, Niedergang said. “But I know there is a lot of tree orders at Open Space, Environment and Energy. Maybe it makes sense to go there along with all the other tree items. Because I don’t want to just expedite this because I’m the Chair of Legislative Matters. It needs to be looked at in the context of all the other tree related issues.”
Board President Katjana Ballantyne agreed with Niedergang and referred the matter to Open Space, Environment and Energy, with the order approved by the Board.
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Hey Mark, try focusing your efforts on making sure trees on city property are not erroneously cut down before you try to mandate what private property owners do. I swear this board is one big bozo fest with hypocrisy as their core value.
There comes a time when we do not need the city interfering on on privately owned property.. There should be some rights left to property owners. what they can do on their own property. Not that I want to cut down trees if I don’t have to but it should be my right if I want to. I worked hard and paid dearly for my little spot and it should be my decision. Enough. Spend time helping the homeless or some worthy cause instead of bothering the home owners again.
And how many towns have already passed Zoning based on our proposed new code that you do not have time to worry about?
And thank you for the heads up. Will drop a couple trees this weekend vs possibly dealing with this in the future.
I can see this going sideways quickly. What happens when you’re not allowed to cut down a tree on YOUR property and said tree (or branches) goes sailing through your roof/siding or – better yet – your neighbor’s roof/siding in a wind/snow storm? Is the city going to cover remediation and legal expenses for you? Yeah…. I doubt it.
My advice is to call your local tree cutting company and have them cut any thing that even looks like it could become a “tree” asap before these nitwits stick their ignorant, grubby hands on your property. Literally trim/cut every blade of grass and asphalt over it as who knows what that these dummies will think of next concerning OUR properties.
and again – this new BOA – working on things no one wants them to work on and not working on things that do need to be addressed. Vote them all out or lets’ at least get term limits to limit their damage.
Has this group ever heard of property rights? Their transfer tax went nowhere so they want to go after homeowners again? So the city/state cut down so many trees on Beacon Street that a vigil was held, they cut down every tree along the green line tracks, they’ve allowed developers to cut down numerous trees in order to pack in as many ‘units’ as they can to a piece of land. And on top of that, they seem to have tossed out the green space and setback requirements. And to fix this they want homeowners who planted a tree on their property to keep it there no matter what. Well that’s not happening on my property. And by the way I don’t care how much Newton, Cambridge and Lexington ignores private property rights.
Every time I hear a proposal from Mark Niedergang I recognize that Somerville needs a recall petition process for its alderman. These clowns can do too much damage during their short terms.
a lot of baby trees will go “night night” if this is passed. I’ve got my eye on one starting to grow in my absentee neighbor’s yard… nothing a handsaw couldn’t solve. the city has their own dead trees on almost every sidewalk! But the war on homeowners continues.
I am in the process of trying to do some renovations to my home here in the Ville, and let me tell you, the hoops are many and the mounting requirements from the city are awe inspiring. Having already paid for a complete land survey, and an architect just to submit a proposal, it was suggested that I needed a landscape survey. By the time I am done providing the city with its mountain of expertly inspected paper, I will be too broke to actually do any work. Knock it off already.
Mark–you refer to the state cutting down trees “despite our best efforts’ exactly what we’re those efforts? The T clear cut after promising not to. The state cut dozens of old trees while YOU slept. But now you come after the homeowner? And, btw, you missed the boat. This has been happening for years, its too late. My street has lost dozens of mature trees to development. 1 was allowed to remove a 50 yr old tree to add a driveway for new units. They have a driveway, but want another. Where have you morons been?
This current board is a joke. You’re not fooling anyone. Little people in big chairs. Except one really big one in a regular chair!!
WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO CONTROL WHAT I DO ON MY PROPERTY REFARDING TREES.
WHY DONT YOU WORRY ABOUT TAKING DOWN THE DEAD TREE YOU PUT ON FRONT OF MY HOUSE THSTS BROKEN UP CUTY IWNED SIDEWALK BUT I OWN IT WHEN IT SNOWS. WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WHILE ALL THESE ROAD WORK BONDS COME TO LIFE AT THE SAME TIME. SO, NOW THE BALL SQ BRIDGE IS TO BE CLOSED. THE WASHONGTON ST BRIDGE. THE STUPIDEST TRAFFICE PATTERN IN UNION SQ. THE CONSTRUCTION IN UNION SQ. THE WORK ON AS MANY STREET IN SOMERVILLE AT THE SAME TIME AS POSSIBle. To line ALL YOUR POCKETS. Every Major road in the City Is going to be insane with traffic. ALONG WITH ALL THE BLDG PERMITS ISSUED TO FLIP THESE HOMES BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT THE HELL OF THE CRAZY TRAIN.
THIS BOA HAS DONE NOTHING IMPORTANT. OTHER CITIES ARE CALLIN
G CURRENT SOMERVILLE POLITICIANS RIDICULOUSLY OUT OF TOUCH. OMG, WAS THERE A SPECIAL ON LOBOTOMIES? IT APPEARS SO, YOUR ALL A BIG JOKE. I VOTED FOR ONE OF YOU, HE HAS A BRAIN.
I GUESS THEY DONT WANT TO POST MY FRIENDS COMMENTS BECAUSE SHES ELDERLY. SURE ONLY PIST WHAT YOU LIKE, GREAT WAY TO RUN A NEWSPAPER. YOUR A PIECE OF WORK. I HOPE EVER CUTS ALL THE TREES IN THEIR YARDS DOWN ON THE SAME DAY. THE CITY HAS FONALLY WENT TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET. THE BOA SHOULD JUMP IN THAT BASKET.
Ever see that commercial where well-dressed execs at an important meeting start talking baby talk gibberish (the red one is more gooder to me, etc.)? This is how I picture this BOA. well-dressed idiots who wouldn’t know reality if it hit them on their inflated heads
Not just the meta, awhile ago the state cut a swath of old growth trees. Out of the blue. If anyone was awake at the wheel, paying attention, it would not ha e happened. They didn’t spot a giant project of all these trees being cut in daylight in plain sight, but they notice I don’t have a permit for a minor project and they’ll see me cut down a tree on my own property.