Forestry

Responsibilities

The Forestry Division maintains over 7,000 street trees within or urban forest. The forestry division handles street tree pruning, tree planting and removal of dead street trees with the assistance of the Tree Warden.

Tree Warden

Since the late 1890s, by the General Laws in Massachusetts, every city and town is required to have a Tree Warden.  The Tree Warden enforces the Public Shade Tree Law (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 87) in Watertown, including the planting, care, maintenance, and removal of Public Shade Trees.

Tree Hearing Updates

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 87, Section 3 (Public Shade Tree Law) defines all trees within a public way or on the boundaries thereto as public shade trees. If it is doubtful whether the tree is within the public way, it shall be taken to be within the public way until the contrary is shown. Public shade trees cannot be cut, trimmed or removed without a prior written permit from the Tree Warden after a Public Hearing duly advertised.

Any written submissions regarding any of the item(s) on a Tree Hearing List are due in the Department of Public Works office no later than 10:30 am on the morning of the hearing, one hour prior to the actual hearing itself. All written submissions will be taken to the tree hearing and read into the record by the Tree Warden.