Greece, NY Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Chapter 193 defines the "tree lawn" as the strip of a street or highway between the property line and the paved travel area, and treats any tree standing there as a "Town or public tree" under Town control. Section 193-6 lets adjoining property owners locate and plant trees in the tree lawn at their own expense, but only with the Commissioner of Public Works' approval and a highway permit. Approval turns on two conditions: the planting must follow the Arboricultural Specifications and Standards of Practice in the Town Forestry Plan, and the species must come from the Master Tree List in that same plan.

The Commissioner must also approve a map or diagram showing the planting location and species before authorizing the permit. Once installed, the tree becomes Town property and is added to the Town's Street Tree Inventory, meaning the owner loses the right to remove or alter it without the Commissioner's later permission under § 193-7 and § 193-8. The Town Tree Council, created under § 193-4 with up to seven Town Board-appointed members, develops and updates the Forestry Plan, Master Tree List and Arboricultural Specifications each year, which sets the technical standard a homeowner's planting application must meet.