Bylaw Changes: Public Forum on November 2nd
The Lexington Tree Committee is holding a public feedback meeting on Thursday, November 2, at 7 pm at the Community Center, 39 Marrett Road, to discuss possible amendments to the town’s Tree Bylaw and to hear feedback from the public. The Tree Committee believes the current bylaw is not adequately protecting Lexington’s trees and would like your input on changes we are proposing to achieve community goals, with the intent to bring an article to the Annual Town Meeting in the spring. Questions? Contact treecmte@lexingtonma.gov.
Please note that LexTrees.org is a private site. It is not run by the Tree Committee or any of its members.
The Current Tree Bylaw is Very Limited
Applies only to the setback area of a Major Construction project (e.g., New Construction).
No prohibition on removing any trees, ever.
Trees over 6” diameter removed from the setback require replanting or payment into Tree Fund (mitigation).
E.g., 12” Tree → plant one 3” shade tree OR pay $2400
The Current Tree Bylaw is Ineffective
The purpose of the Bylaw is to discourage developers from removing mature trees, yet clear cutting persists widely across town. The plot plan and satellite images of a recently developed property above show tha out of 24 large trees, only one was saved by the developer. (A second tree on the lot was a Town tree, and not permitted to be removed).