Smithtown, NY Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Town Code § 248-37H, part of the Subdivision Regulations' street improvement specifications, requires that street trees be provided in all subdivisions. The stock must be nursery-grown of an approved species raised under the same climatic conditions as the development site, of symmetrical growth, free of insect pests and disease, suitable for street use and durable under the maintenance the Town expects to provide. The code sets a minimum average trunk diameter of two to three inches, measured six feet above finished ground level, with the exact figure left to good practice for the species being planted.

Spacing runs 40 to 60 feet apart depending on species, along both sides of the street, located within the street right-of-way three feet six inches from the edge of the pavement. The Planning Board holds discretion to waive the even-interval spacing in favor of planting an equivalent number of trees in landscaped groups instead. The same article also requires the planting strips within road rights-of-way to be finish graded and seeded or sodded with lawn grass in conformance with good nursery and landscape practice under § 248-37I, and lets the Town Engineer and Superintendent of Highways jointly approve alternate specifications under § 248-37L when an alternate accrues to the public benefit.