Pro-tree law branches out

By Hal Johnson
Herald Writer

With the carved image of a bearded man’s face still visible in a tree at the post office, Mercer Council Tuesday adopted a revised shade tree ordinance that includes a ban on maiming public trees.

Last summer during Victorian Days, a wood carver demonstrated his craft by slicing off a portion of bark and carving the face of a bearded man into a tree in front of the post office. The wood carver had the permission of an assistant postmaster but the tree was along the street, which makes it a public tree, according to the borough’s ordinance.

Under the ordinance, the borough’s Shade Tree Commission is in charge of planting and removing “public” trees and enforcing the local law. The commission has in the past prohibited property owners from cutting trees declared public.

The borough did not cite the wood carver. Under the revised shade tree ordinance, it could. The revised ordinance authorizes the borough to plant trees or shrubs along streets and on public grounds to enhance safety or aesthetics. “It shall be illegal to maim, carve, or deface public trees, plants and shrubs,” the revised ordinance says. Violators could be fined.

The new ordinance also provides the Shade Tree Commission a source of revenue through a tax of 0.01 mill. Proceeds from the tax will be used to plant trees or to remove dead or diseased ones. The shade tree tax is already included in the 2000 budget, said Deborah K. Scruci, borough secretary.

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