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HOPKINTON PLANNING BOARD POLICY
Voted August 6, 2007
Street Trees
The Hopkinton Planning Board has adopted the following
policies with regard to the planting of street trees within
subdivisions:
1.
Every developer constructing a subdivision shall
consult with the Hopkinton Tree Warden prior to the planting of
street trees in the subdivision.
The consultation should include a discussion of the type
of species to be planted and the location of the plantings.
It is the intent that the tree be suited to the site
because their long-term survival is critical.
2.
The Planning Board encourages small groupings of
trees instead of planting trees at regular intervals along new
streets.
3.
The following species shall not be planted as
street trees:
Ailanthus
species (Tree of Heaven)
Populus species (Poplar)
Salix species (Willows)
Catalpa species (Catalpa)
Acer Negundo (Boxelder)
Acer Saccharinum (Silver Maple)
Robinia pseudocacia (Black Locust)
Acer paltanoides (Norway Maple)
4.
The following species are recommended for
planting as street trees:
Ginko biloba
Red Maple
Sugar Maple
Sweet Gum
Tulip Tree
London Plane Tree
Linden
Honeylocust
Pin Oak
Zelkova
Sourwood
Kousa Dogwood
Crabapple
Flowering Cherry
Flowering Pear
Black Tupelo
American Hornbeam
European Beech
Shadblow Serviceberry
River Birch (Heritage)
American Sycamore
5.
The Planning Board will hold performance guarantee
funds for one year following the planting of a street tree.
In the Board’s experience, street trees do not have a
good survival rate, and one year should be sufficient time to
determine whether a tree will survive.
6.
Street tree species planted within a subdivision
shall be varied, and shall not be limited to one species only.
In the event that one species becomes susceptible to
disease or insects, mixing the species will help to ensure that
not all of the trees in an area will be affected.
7.
Street trees shall not be planted between the
sidewalk and the street. The
root systems typically affect the sidewalk over time, causing
safety and maintenance issues.
8.
New street trees need not be planted to satisfy
the requirements of the Subdivision Rules and Regulations if
existing trees are retained along the roadways.
The Planning Board encourages developers to retain the
existing trees wherever possible.
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