Howell, NJ Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Howell Township Code § 188-122 sets the planting standard for street trees. Each tree must have a minimum diameter of 2 1/2 inches measured three feet above the ground, must be of a species approved by the approving authority, and must be planted 40 feet to 60 feet apart, parallel to the curbline and no less than 20 feet from it. Stock must be balled and burlapped, nursery grown, free from insects and disease, hardy for the area and true to species and variety.

The section also protects the trees already on a lot. Stripping trees from a lot or filling around trees is not permitted unless grading requirements necessitate removal of trees, and then the lot is replanted with trees to reestablish the tone of the area and to conform with adjacent lots. Dead or dying trees are replaced by the developer during the next recommended planting season.

Other sections of the Land Use chapter fill in the details. Under § 188-194D, replacement trees are staked and guyed immediately after planting with cedar or oak stakes eight feet long and no less than two inches in diameter, and mulched with three inches of approved mulch. Street shade trees required under the Woodlands Management article earn no credit toward replacement-tree counts (§ 188-194F), and they cannot be credited toward the extra tree required for every 1,000 square feet of impervious coverage on parcels less than 10% wooded (§ 188-194E).

Planting inside the public right-of-way by anyone else is a separate question. Section 188-191E states that no trees are permitted to be planted in the Township, county or state right-of-way, and a person who wants to control the growth of an existing tree there by removing or pruning it must contact the Director of Public Works and request the work to be performed.