Source: https://www.ecode360.com/16152446
Timestamp: 2017-10-22 20:46:20
Document Index: 269990112

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333', '§ 333']

Village of Randolph, WI Trees and Shrubs
§ 333-1 Purpose; applicability.
§ 333-3 Authority of Village Forester.
§ 333-4 Interference with Village Forester prohibited.
§ 333-5 Abatement of tree disease nuisances.
§ 333-6 Assessment of costs of abatement.
§ 333-7 Planting requirements.
§ 333-8 Trimming requirements.
§ 333-9 Obstructions to view.
§ 333-10 Prohibited acts.
§ 333-11 Appeals.
§ 333-12 Adoption of state statutes.
Chapter 333: Trees and Shrubs
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of Randolph 10-7-1998 by Ord. No. 351 as Title 6, Ch. 4, of the 1998 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Chapter 333 : Trees and Shrubs
Intent and purpose. It is the policy of the Village of Randolph to regulate and establish policy for the control of planting, removal, maintenance and protection of trees and shrubs in or upon all public areas and terrace areas of the Village to eliminate and guard against dangerous conditions which may result in injury to persons using the streets, alleys, sidewalks or other public areas; to promote and enhance the beauty and general welfare of the Village; to prohibit the undesirable and unsafe planting, removal, treatment and maintenance of trees and shrubs located in public areas; and to guard all trees and shrubs, both public and private, within the Village against the spread of disease, insects or pests.
Person or Village employee designated by the Village Board as authorized to carry out provisions of this chapter. The Village Board may designate a municipal employee or citizen to perform the duties of Forester under Ch. 27, Wis. Stats., and may authorize such Forester to perform the duties and exercise the powers imposed on the Village Board by this chapter. The Village Forester shall annually be appointed by the Village President, subject to Board confirmation, at the Board's organizational meetings. Such duties may be assigned to the Street Superintendent or Weed Commissioner.
Dutch elm and other tree diseases a public nuisance. The Village Board has determined that there are many trees growing on public and private premises within the Village, the loss of which would substantially depreciate the value of public and private property, impair the use and enjoyment of public and private premises and erode the tax base of the Village, and that the health and life of such trees is threatened by fatal diseases such as Dutch elm disease, which is spread by the elm bark beetles, scolytus multistriatus (Eichb.) or hylurgopinus rufipes (Marsh.). The Village Board hereby declares its intention to control and prevent the spread of such disease and the insect pests and vectors which carry such diseases and specifically declares Dutch elm disease and the elm bark beetles which carry such disease to be public nuisances.
When the Forester shall determine with reasonable certainty that a public nuisance exists upon private premises, the Forester shall immediately serve or cause to be served personally or by registered mail upon the owner of such property, if the owner can be found, or upon the occupant thereof, a written notice of the existence of such nuisance and of a time and place for a hearing, not less than 14 days after service of such notice, on the abatement action to be taken. Such notice shall describe the nuisance and recommend procedures for its abatement and shall further state that unless the owner shall abate the nuisance in the manner specified in the notice, or shall appear at the hearing to show that such nuisance does not exist or does not endanger the health of trees in the Village, the Forester shall cause the abatement thereof at the expense of the property served. If the owner cannot be found, such notice shall be given by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the Village.
In order to facilitate the work and minimize the inconvenience to the public of any spraying operations conducted under this section, the Forester shall cause to be given advance public notice of such operations by newspaper, radio, television, public service announcements or other effective means and shall also cause the posting of appropriate warning notices in the areas and along the streets where trees are to be sprayed at least 24 hours in advance of spraying. When any residue or concentrate from municipal spraying operations can be expected to be deposited on any public street, the Forester shall also notify the Street Superintendent, who shall take all necessary steps to make and enforce temporary parking and traffic regulations on such streets as conditions require. Temporary "no parking" notices shall be posted in each block of any affected street at least 24 hours in advance of spraying operations.
Public premises. The entire cost of abating any public nuisance or spraying any elm tree, or part thereof, when done at the direction of the Forester shall be borne by the Village as to any growth, tree or shrub located upon property owned by the Village. The abating of a public nuisance or spraying elm trees or elm wood located upon a terrace area between the lot line and the curb shall be considered work on private premises and shall be subject to Subsection B of this section.[1]
Purpose; permit required.[1]
Generally. The Village Board hereby states its determination that the planting, care and protection of the trees within the Village is desirable for the purposes of beauty, shade, comfort, noise abatement and economic betterment and hereby encourages all persons to assist in a program of tree planting, care and protection.
No person, except upon order of the Village Forester, shall plant, transplant, move, spray, brace, trim, prune, cut above or below ground, disturb, alter or do surgery on a public tree or shrub in the Village, or cause such act to be done by others, without first getting a written permit for such work from the Village Forester as herein provided.
Cottonwood and box elder trees prohibited. No person shall plant within the Village of Randolph any female tree of the species populus deltoides, commonly called the "cottonwood," or any tree commonly called the "seed-bearing box elder acer negundo," which may now or hereafter become infested with box elder bugs, and such trees are hereby declared a nuisance. Any person planting any such trees on his/her premises shall cause the same to be removed. If any owner shall fail to remove any such tree within 30 days after receiving written notice from the Village Forester, the Village shall cause the removal of such tree and report the full cost thereof to the Village Clerk-Treasurer, who shall place such charge upon the next tax roll as a special charge against the premises.
Planting of certain trees restricted. Except in public parks, no person shall hereafter plant any catalpa, Chinese elm, white poplar, weeping willow, evergreen, lombardy poplar, silver maple, or any fruit or nut tree in or upon any public street, parkway, terrace or other public place within the Village of Randolph unless he/she shall first secure written permission from the Village Forester, who shall not approve any such planting if, in his/her opinion, said tree will constitute a nuisance to the public or adjoining property owners or interfere with the safety of the public or the operation of any sewer or water system. The Village Forester shall cause the removal of any tree planted in violation of this subsection.
Where required, curbs and sidewalks must be installed prior to street tree planting. Distance between the face of the curb and the outer edge of the sidewalk must be at least four feet. Trees must be planted halfway between the sidewalk and curb, unless underground utilities prevent such planting. No tree shall be planted closer than two feet to the curb.
Acceptable trees. Certain plants are more suited than others to provide these benefits under various landscape conditions. The list following provides a range of sizes and tree variety; it is not inclusive of all the better plants but is representative of them:
Alder, speckled (alnus rugosa).
Ash, green (fraxinus pennsylvanica) and ash, white, especially the seedless cultivars (e.g., Marshall's seedless, tatmore, urbanite); vastly overplanted.
Cherry, sargent (prunus sargentii).
Chokecherry, Schubert (prunus virginiana "Schubert").
Corktree, sakhalin (phellodendron sachalinense).
Dogwood, cornelian cherry (cornus mas).
Hackberry (celtis occidentalis), especially Chicagoland, Prairie Pride and Windy City.
Honey locust, thornless common (gleditsia triacanthos inermis); many cultivars available; vastly overused; would discourage continued planting.
Hornbeam, American (carpinus caroliniana).
Hophornbeam, American (ostrya virginiana).
Linden, littleleaf (tilia cordata), especially Glenleven, Greenspire and June Bride.
Linden, silver (tilia tomentosa).
Maple, hedge (acer campestre).
Maple, paperbark (acer griseum).
Maple, three-flower (acer triflorum).
Maple, miyabe (acer miyabei).
Maple, Norway (acer platanoides), especially Cleveland, Emerald Queen, Schwedler, Summershade and Superform; may be too big for many areas; too shady, often preventing lawn growth.
Maple, red (acer rubrum), especially Autumn Blaze, Marmo, Morgan, Northwood, October Glory and Red Sunset.
Maple, sycamore (acer pseudoplatanus).
Maple, tartarian (acer tataricum).
Maple, purpleblow (acer truncatum).
Pear, callery (pyrus calleryana), especially Chanticleer and Fauriei (cultivars such as Bradford and Aristocrat are proving to be landscape liabilities as they age beyond 15 years).
[Amended 2-5-2007]
Prior to major trimming activity involving a public tree, the permit requirements of § 333-7A shall be complied with. Any person growing a tree, plant or shrub on any private property abutting on public streets or public places shall:
Trees and shrubs standing in or upon any boulevard, public area or upon any private premises adjacent to any public right-of-way or public areas shall be kept trimmed by their owner (or adjacent property owner) so that the lowest branches projecting over the public street or alley provide a clearance of not less than 14 feet. The Village Forester may waive the provisions of this section for newly planted trees if he determines that they do not interfere with public travel, obstruct the light of any streetlights or endanger public safety.
Clearance from sidewalk to lower branches shall not be less than 10 feet. All trees standing upon private property in the Village, the branches of which extend over the line of the street at the curbline, shall be trimmed so that no branch shall grow or hang over the line of the sidewalk lower than 10 feet above the level of the sidewalk. No tree shall be permitted to grow in such a manner as to obstruct the proper diffusion of light from any public lamp.
Any shrub, tree or other plant which obstructs the view at an intersection or the view of a traffic sign shall be deemed to be dangerous to public travel, and the Village Forester may order, by written notice, the owner or occupant of any private place or premises on which there stands a tree or shrub which unreasonably interferes with or encroaches upon the street or sidewalk to take such steps as are necessary to remove such interference. If such owner or occupant fails, within 10 days of receipt of notice, to take such necessary steps, the Village Forester and/or other Village employees shall remove the interference. The cost of removing the interference shall be levied and collected as a special tax upon the property upon which or in front of which such tree or shrub stands.[1]
Damage to public trees. No person shall, without the consent of the owner in the case of a private tree or shrub, or without written permit from the Village Forester in the case of a terrace area tree, public tree or shrub, perform or cause to be performed by others any of the following acts:
Refuse to permit the Forester or his duly authorized representative to enter upon his/her premises at reasonable times to exercise the duties imposed by this section.
Any person who receives a determination or order under this chapter from the Village Forester and objects to all or any part thereof shall have the right to appeal such determination or order, subject to the provisions of Chapter 5, Administrative Review, of this Code and Ch. 68, Wis. Stats., to the Village Board within seven days of receipt of the order, and the Village Board shall hear such appeal within 30 days of receipt of written notice of the appeal. After such hearing, the Village Board may reverse, affirm or modify the order or determination appealed from, and the grounds for its decision shall be stated in writing. The Village Board shall, by letter, notify the party appealing the order or determination of its decision within 10 days after the hearing has been concluded. The Board shall file its written decision with the Village Clerk-Treasurer.