Elizabeth, NJ Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Chapter 17.45, adopted by Ordinance No. 5970 on March 26, 2024, sets Elizabeth's tree removal and replacement standard. Only the city or another governmental agency with jurisdiction may remove a street tree; any other person who removes a street tree of 2.5 inches DBH or greater, or who removes trees at a rate of 6 inches DBH or more per acre, must replace them under the tree replacement requirements table in Section 17.45.030(A). That table scales the replacement obligation to tree size, from one 1.5-inch-caliper replacement tree for a category-1 removal (DBH 2.5 to 12.99 inches for street trees, 6 to 12.99 inches for others) up to four replacement trees for any tree of 33 inches DBH or greater.

Section 17.45.030(A) then imposes the invasive-species restriction: replacement stock cannot come from the list of trees maintained by the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team, whose current 2023 edition is attached to Ordinance No. 5970 as Appendix A and is also kept on file with the city engineer and posted at fohvos.info. Applicants must check the strike team's current list at planting time, since the list is updated periodically. Replacement trees must otherwise match or exceed the DBH of the tree removed, be planted within twelve months of removal, be monitored by the applicant for two years with replacement of any that die, and cannot be counted if left in containers or pots.

If the city determines replacement cannot happen on the removal site, Section 17.45.030(B) lets the applicant either plant off-site in a city-approved location or pay $500 per tree into a dedicated tree-planting fund. Section 17.45.040 exempts residents who remove fewer than four category 1-3 trees per acre in a rolling five-year window, active tree farms, nurseries, orchards and garden centers, approved forest stewardship land, and hazard trees.