Concerned about trees being removed when houses are torn down to make way for new construction, Princeton Council introduced an ordinance July 29 that would change the rules about cutting down trees that are under municipal protection.

A public hearing on the measure is scheduled for next week’s Council meeting on August 8. The ordinance, which was originally consolidated in 2014, is the culmination of work by the Shade Tree Commission. Under the suggested ruling, the size of a tree being removed is taken into consideration regarding how many replacement trees must be planted in its place.

Currently, it is a “one-to-one” situation in which a tree of any diameter is replaced by just one tree. A tree with a trunk diameter of 39 inches or more, for instance, would have to be replaced by four plantings. This would apply on private property or in a public setting, such as a park or right of way. Residents who choose not to replant would also have the option of paying into a fund that is used to plant and maintain trees on public land. Fees could range up to $1,600 depending on the size of the tree being removed. But residents can’t just pay the fees. They must plant, at a minimum, 50 percent of the trees they are required to replace.

The measure would not apply to sick trees. It recommends an increase in the application fee from $25 to $40. The fee is not per tree, but per property. The town’s arborist Lorraine Konopka would get 20 business days instead of the current 15 to allow for a more thorough review of each application.

“A lot of people in town have become concerned about the fact that many trees are being cut down as a result of tear downs,” Councilman Bernie Miller said before Council’s meeting July 29. “And in some instances, lots are being pretty much denuded of their trees.”

Later that evening at the meeting, Mr. Miller, who is the Council’s liaison to the Shade Tree Commission, said, “The Shade Tree Commission and the Code Review Committee did a lot of work on this, for almost a year. This is a really major effort on the part of a voluntary commission to prepare something many in the community asked for — a stronger shade tree ordinance that represents the community in terms of our thinking about the value of shade trees and trees in general.” While the ordinance could need fine tuning, Mr. Miller continued, “I think what you have before you now is an effort that took almost a year to produce and I hope it will be well received.”

Mayor Liz Lempert spoke in favor of expediting the issue. “If you look around town, every week there are trees coming down,” she said. “This is something I want people to have time to discuss.”

Following next week’s public hearing, Council plans to continue the discussion into September. A final vote is expected to take place September 12.