Chatham Borough Tree Maintenance Program
Chatham Borough Tree Maintenance Program The Borough of Chatham, with 26 miles of roads, has an active tree maintenance program. Most Borough trees are mature. The Department of Public Works takes care of tree maintenance. Some trees are maintained in house while others are contracted for maintenance. The companies that we use for tree maintenance include Tree King Inc., Honor Tree Service Inc., and Pine Valley Tree Service. The New Jersey State DOT is responsible for tree maintenance on state roadways that transverse Chatham Borough. Likewise, the County of Morris DPW is responsible for tree maintenance on county roadways that also transverse Chatham. JCP&L is responsible for tree maintenance on state, county and borough roadways that fall directly in the path of their primary electrical distribution system. The following table shows the DPW and contracted tree maintenance for the past several years. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Totals
DPW regular hours DPW overtime DPW regular hours cost DPW over -time cost DPW total cost
2,378
4,476
5,460
2,973
1,973
17,260
30.5
259.5
655
36.5
18.5
1,000
$78,307.54
$150,751.68
$187,987.80
$105,036.09
$71,028
$593,111.11
$1,360.60
$12,489.73
$33,830.75
$1,934.13
$999
$50,614.21
$79,668.14
$163,241.41
$221,818.75
$106,970.22
$72,027
$643,725.52
Honor Tree Service Inc. Tree King Inc. Pine Valley Tree Service Total contracted
$12,010.00
$7,850.00
$21,949.65
$23,117.50
$7,220
$72,147.15
$11,570.00
$26,510.00
$13,705.00
$37,870.00
$19,895
$109,550.00
$0.00
$0.00
$6,500.00
$0
$0
$6,500.00
$23,580.00
$34,360.00
$42,154.65
$60,987.50
$27,115
$188,197.15
We prune all street trees on a six-year cycle, or approximately one-sixth of the town every year. This cycle meets our needs, since most street tress in Chatham Borough are mature. In addition, each year we maintain individual trees as necessary. The Borough is broken up into six zones (as shown below), which are maintained over the course of a year. To keep track of progress, roads are highlighted on the map as they are completed, and every tree that is touched is documented in monthly and annual Department of Public Works (DPW) reports Chatham Borough reuses the trees removed to make mulch, through the DPW. Mulch piles are rotated and cultivated until they are ready, and then they are placed on municipal properties, parks, and around buildings. Mulch is also offered to residents, without charge, to use on their properties.
Tree Maintenance Data: 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Totals
Shade Tree Requests
192
241
412
138
666
1,649
Pruned In House
97
143
246
36
553
1,105
Removed in House
45
53
95
57
33
283
Trees Contracted for Pruning Trees Contracted for Removal
24
16
39
12
11
102
15
18
20
15
20
88
Trees Removed by JCP&L
11
7
12
18
45
93
Trees Pruned By JCP&L
0
0
0
0
4
4
Shared Services Trees Removed –Summit
1
0
0
0
0
1
Shared Services Trees Trimmed
0
1
0
0
0
1
Stumps Ground
39
66
76
78
39
298
Shared Services – Summit Shared Services with Summit was accomplished in the 2010 calendar year. We borrowed Summit's Shade Tree staff and bucket truck to cut and remove several trees that were too high for our bucket truck to reach. Downtown Streetscape Project and Maintenance The Shade Tree Commission advised the Streetscape Committee on proper tree planting for the downtown business district. The sidewalks in the downtown area were replaced with brick pavers. During the process, several pear trees were removed. The trees were past their useful lifespan and had been severely pruned by the utility company. 40 replacement trees were planted. Three years later, we hired a contractor, Honor Tree Service Inc., to trim/prune the trees to ensure that they are growing properly. We spent $1,850.00 on this proactive tree maintenance project. Tree Inventory During the summer of 2013, a survey was completed of all the street trees in Chatham Borough. A complete, computerized, street tree database inventory was developed, including: species, circumference of the tree, hazards (type, ranking), condition (healthy or not healthy and what the issue is), and location (house number and exact GPS location). We continually update the inventory database to reflect any changes. Reports available from the database provide both individual and summary information about tree counts, tree pruning, tree removals and tree diversity. We also record new trees planted, and, over time, this data will enable us to see how these new trees are progressing, as well as informing us which species are/are not flourishing.
DPW regular hours DPW overtime DPW regular hours cost DPW over -time cost DPW total cost
2,378
4,476
5,460
2,973
1,973
17,260
30.5
259.5
655
36.5
18.5
1,000
$78,307.54
$150,751.68
$187,987.80
$105,036.09
$71,028
$593,111.11
$1,360.60
$12,489.73
$33,830.75
$1,934.13
$999
$50,614.21
$79,668.14
$163,241.41
$221,818.75
$106,970.22
$72,027
$643,725.52
Honor Tree Service Inc. Tree King Inc. Pine Valley Tree Service Total contracted
$12,010.00
$7,850.00
$21,949.65
$23,117.50
$7,220
$72,147.15
$11,570.00
$26,510.00
$13,705.00
$37,870.00
$19,895
$109,550.00
$0.00
$0.00
$6,500.00
$0
$0
$6,500.00
$23,580.00
$34,360.00
$42,154.65
$60,987.50
$27,115
$188,197.15
We prune all street trees on a six-year cycle, or approximately one-sixth of the town every year. This cycle meets our needs, since most street tress in Chatham Borough are mature. In addition, each year we maintain individual trees as necessary. The Borough is broken up into six zones (as shown below), which are maintained over the course of a year. To keep track of progress, roads are highlighted on the map as they are completed, and every tree that is touched is documented in monthly and annual Department of Public Works (DPW) reports Chatham Borough reuses the trees removed to make mulch, through the DPW. Mulch piles are rotated and cultivated until they are ready, and then they are placed on municipal properties, parks, and around buildings. Mulch is also offered to residents, without charge, to use on their properties.
Tree Maintenance Data: 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Totals
Shade Tree Requests
192
241
412
138
666
1,649
Pruned In House
97
143
246
36
553
1,105
Removed in House
45
53
95
57
33
283
Trees Contracted for Pruning Trees Contracted for Removal
24
16
39
12
11
102
15
18
20
15
20
88
Trees Removed by JCP&L
11
7
12
18
45
93
Trees Pruned By JCP&L
0
0
0
0
4
4
Shared Services Trees Removed –Summit
1
0
0
0
0
1
Shared Services Trees Trimmed
0
1
0
0
0
1
Stumps Ground
39
66
76
78
39
298
Shared Services – Summit Shared Services with Summit was accomplished in the 2010 calendar year. We borrowed Summit's Shade Tree staff and bucket truck to cut and remove several trees that were too high for our bucket truck to reach. Downtown Streetscape Project and Maintenance The Shade Tree Commission advised the Streetscape Committee on proper tree planting for the downtown business district. The sidewalks in the downtown area were replaced with brick pavers. During the process, several pear trees were removed. The trees were past their useful lifespan and had been severely pruned by the utility company. 40 replacement trees were planted. Three years later, we hired a contractor, Honor Tree Service Inc., to trim/prune the trees to ensure that they are growing properly. We spent $1,850.00 on this proactive tree maintenance project. Tree Inventory During the summer of 2013, a survey was completed of all the street trees in Chatham Borough. A complete, computerized, street tree database inventory was developed, including: species, circumference of the tree, hazards (type, ranking), condition (healthy or not healthy and what the issue is), and location (house number and exact GPS location). We continually update the inventory database to reflect any changes. Reports available from the database provide both individual and summary information about tree counts, tree pruning, tree removals and tree diversity. We also record new trees planted, and, over time, this data will enable us to see how these new trees are progressing, as well as informing us which species are/are not flourishing.
