Greece, NY Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 193-8 gives the Commissioner of Public Works authority and responsibility to treat or remove public trees that are dead or diseased and pose a hazard to life or property. No person other than the Commissioner or an authorized deputy or agent may prune, cut down, remove or destroy any tree standing or lying within a Town highway or public place unless the Commissioner has permitted and authorized it. Any removal work the Commissioner does perform must follow the Arboricultural Specifications and Standards of Practice contained in the Town Forestry Plan.

Under § 193-8B, the Town replants or replaces any public tree it removes wherever practicable and within fiscal constraints, and § 193-9 requires replacements to be selected from the Master Tree List; if the original site cannot be replanted, a tree removed from a tree lawn may go to an alternative site in the same area, and one removed from a public place may go to an alternative site in that same public place. Section 193-11 layers on a development-side check: the Town Tree Council reviews development and subdivision site plans referred by the Environmental Board and makes recommendations on preserving wood lots before the Planning Board acts, tying tree preservation into the site plan process for private development projects that would otherwise remove tree cover.