Howell, NJ Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Howell Township Code § 188-191 is the protection section of the Woodlands Management article, titled the Howell Township Tree Removal and Replacement Ordinance. The article defines a tree as a deciduous or coniferous species with a mature height of 25 feet and a mature DBH of four inches or greater, so the rules turn on tree type, mature size and where the tree stands.

Public trees come first. Under § 188-191D, nobody cuts, trims, breaks, climbs with spikes, disturbs the roots of, sprays with harmful chemicals or removes any living tree of four inches or more DBH in any right-of-way, Township open space, public street, road or highway without first obtaining written permission from the Director of Public Works or the administrative officer. Fastening a rope, wire, electrical equipment or sign to a tree, or closing or obstructing the open space at its base, needs the same permission. Brine, gas or injurious chemicals cannot touch the stem or roots of a tree or shrub on a public highway or Township property (§ 188-191B), animals cannot be hitched to trees on a public highway (§ 188-191C), and wire owners must guard trees against injury from electrical current (§ 188-191A).

Private trees need a permit. Section 188-191F(1) bars cutting, removing or destroying any tree growing in the Township without a permit under § 188-193, unless § 188-190 exempts the work. Exemptions include commercial nurseries, fruit orchards and farms, Christmas tree plantings and farms, properties devoted to silviculture, dead, dying, diseased or hazardous trees removed by the homeowner, utility line clearance, and residential home site lots of one acre or less.

Construction rules protect the trees that remain. No soil is deposited or removed within the dripline or eight feet of the trunk, whichever is greater. Grade along the dripline cannot rise or fall more than six inches without retaining methods, and guards go eight feet from the dripline around nearby trees on Township land or in public rights-of-way. An accidentally removed or severely damaged tree between 2.5 and 16 inches DBH is replaced one-by-one with trees of four-inch caliper.