The protection and maintenance of public shade trees is the
responsibility of the Commission. One of its primary responsibilities
is the timely pruning of all public shade trees for the purposes of
training, shaping, safety, hazard reduction, and clearance for vehicles,
pedestrians, and utility structures.
No person shall remove, destroy, break, cut, inject, prune,
trim, scrape, paint, whitewash, or excessively tap for sap, or in
any other way, deface, injure or interfere with the roots, trunk,
bark, branches, leaves, flowers, or fruit of any public shade trees
in the Borough of Muncy without the permission of the Commission for
the work to be done. Topping of trees shall not be permitted.
No person may cut the root of any public shade tree to enable
sidewalk, curb, pipe, conduit or electrical wire installation or other
similar repair without the permission of the Commission for the work
to be done.
No person shall spray or otherwise treat any public shade tree
infected or infested with any parasite, disease or insect pest with
a view to its preservation from disease or insects, without the permission
of the Commission covering the work to be done.
No person shall attach any wire, insulator, or any other devise
for holding such wire to any public shade tree. All other wires shall
be securely fastened so as not to come in contact with any public
shade tree or any part thereof. The use of implements with sharp,
penetrating points is positively prohibited for the purpose of climbing
any public shade tree. Contracted workers cannot wear spikes.
It shall be unlawful for any person to cause, authorize or permit
any salt water, oil, liquid dye, or any other substance deleterious
to tree life to lie, leak, pour, flow or drip on or into the soil
about the base of any public shade tree.
No person shall permit any escape of gas so as to injure any
public shade tree, and should such leak occur, must immediately repair
same in such manner as to prevent its recurrence.
No tight guards or any other device not approved by the Commission
shall be attached to any public shade tree, nor will the removal or
injury of any guard or device approved by said Commission and intended
for the protection of such public shade tree be permitted without
approval of the Commission.
No stones, brick, cement or any other building material shall
be placed nearer than two feet six inches from the trunk of any public
shade tree in any manner which may impede the free passage of air
and water to the roots of same.
No person, firm or corporation shall attach any rope, wire,
sign, poster, handbill, or other object to any public shade tree or
guard thereof.
No public utility company, governmental agency, commercial tree
trimmer, contractor, or any other person shall perform any tree pruning
work without the permission of the Commission for the work to be done.
Any such work not done by the owner of the property abutting the tree
shall require the execution of a written contract.
A.
All excavations within five feet of the center of any public shade
tree shall be under the supervision of the Commission.
B.
In the erection, alteration, repair or removal of any building or
structure, the owner thereof shall be responsible for the placing
of such guards around all nearby public shade trees as shall effectively
prevent injury to them.
A.
A public shade tree should be reasonably symmetrical, subject to
the need for clearance over sidewalks and streets. The branches should
begin at a height that will allow the free public use of the street
and sidewalk. The tree should have a well developed head which retains,
as nearly as possible, the normal characteristics of that species.
B.
Public shade trees shall be pruned to a height of eight feet over
sidewalks and 14 feet over streets.
C.
For new trees, pruning the branches to the required height will be
done by the Commission gradually, year by year, after planting. Trees
must grow in diameter as well as height in order to support the top
without bending. Low branches will be removed only at intervals of
a year or more until the proper height of the canopy is reached.
D.
No limbs or foliage shall obstruct streetlights, stop signs or traffic
signals.
