Tree permits and the code review, explained

Current permit description

Chapter 17 governs tree removal in Warren. The Township’s October 14, 2026 notice quotes the rule: “Trees located within the Township of Warren shall not be cut (except for reasonable pruning), damaged, injured, or removed, until a permit is obtained as provided for in section 17-5.” The same notice says the application “shall be accompanied by a survey showing the location, size, and genus of the trees to be removed.”

The Zoning Permits page describes the purpose. It is to prevent indiscriminate or excessive tree removal. This removal could increase surface drainage, sedimentation, and soil erosion. It could decrease soil fertility. It could impair real-estate stability and value. The page lists a $25 permit fee. It says that generally four trees per acre may be cut per year with the permit. Applications go to the Zoning Office. Cutting must wait for approval. The page links a Tree Permit Application form.

The notice adds that tree removal “can have significant impact on the surrounding area” and that adverse drainage or soil-erosion effects “could result in the involvement of outside agencies, including NJDEP and Somerset Union Soil Conservation District.” Those are the Township’s stated concerns.

The full current Chapter 17 text and the application form were not in the records LocalWhy reviewed, so replacement ratios, exemptions, escrow and any exceptions to the four-tree figure are not verified here. The fee, the four-tree statement and the review sequence are the Township’s own current web description.

2026 amendment discussion

On March 12, 2026, Township Administrator Mark Krane “asked the Engineering and Zoning offices to come up with a proposal to address and amend the current tree ordinance so that it can be properly enforced.” He said a “comprehensive recommendation with changes” had been provided to the Committee and suggested sending a copy to the Environmental Commission. Township Attorney William Willard suggested reviewing the model NJDEP ordinance. No ordinance was introduced or adopted at that meeting.

On May 14 Krane reported that “the NJDEP model tree ordinance was used and the Environmental Commission Chairman, Wayne DeFeo, has submitted comments.” He described current practice: tree removal is approved by the Planning Board or Board of Adjustment with site plans, and about 150 more applications a year come from residents. He said a question had been raised “whether those approvals should be granted solely by the Zoning Official or if the Environmental Commission, or some other board, should participate in those decisions.” He said the ordinance also “ensures that the replacement plan is implemented” and asked the Committee to review the recommendations “for possible introduction of the ordinance in June.” Committeeman Blick raised inspecting sites to confirm replanting.

No tree ordinance was introduced in June or afterward in the Committee records reviewed. The Township’s list of 2026 adopted ordinances runs from 26-01 through 26-24 and includes no tree amendment. The October 14 notice still describes the existing Chapter 17 permit rule.

Comments and enforcement questions

Residents discussed tree cutting or ordinance enforcement at three Committee meetings in the records reviewed.

• December 11, 2025. Bill Gilbert of Flintlock Drive said he “learned that the clear-cutting of trees on Hillcrest was conducted in accordance with the approved plan and recommended that future standards include maintaining barriers, particularly along Route 78.” That is his account; the minutes record no finding on the plan.
• March 12, 2026. Gilbert said “the tree ordinance needs more enforcement and should be publicized and suggested communicating it to realtors.” Joe of Sage Drive asked about revisions to the tree ordinance, in a comment that also raised streetlights on Mountain Boulevard.
• May 14, 2026. An unnamed resident asked about the Township’s tree ordinance with specific regard to a complaint filed with the Zoning Officer. The minutes record no disposition of the complaint.

The Township also contracts for tree work. On January 22, 2026 Resolution 2026-052 authorized purchase orders to Rich Tree Service, Inc. of South Plainfield for trimming, pruning and removal under a state contract, not to exceed $100,000.00, charged to account 6-01-26-290-6528; it passed on the consent agenda, 5–0. The February 19 bill list shows purchase order 26-00149, dated January 14, 2026, to Rich Tree Service for “Tree removal,” $3,500.00. The minutes do not say whether that payment counted against the $100,000 ceiling.

The records reviewed do not show a count of permits issued, denied, or conditioned on replanting.

What is not verified

Several items in these records are statements or drafts. They are not verified facts.

• The 150 applications. The figure is the administrator’s statement at the May 14, 2026 meeting. LocalWhy has not seen a permit log.
• The draft and the comments. The March minutes describe “a comprehensive recommendation with changes” from the Engineering and Zoning offices. The May minutes describe work based on the NJDEP model and comments from Environmental Commission Chairman Wayne DeFeo. The record does not show whether these are one document or two, and neither the draft nor the comments were reviewed.
• Environmental Commission action. The Commission’s agendas are posted; its minutes for 2026 were not reviewed, so any formal vote on the draft is unknown.
• The code. The full Chapter 17 text, the application form, replacement ratios and exemptions were not reviewed. The four-trees-per-acre figure is the Zoning Permits page’s general statement.
• The Hillcrest cutting. The December 11, 2025 remark is a resident’s account that the work matched an approved plan, not a Township finding.

The Township’s Zoning Permits page states submissions go to the Zoning Office and approval happens before cutting. The Committee and Environmental Commission post agendas on the Township site.