Shade Tree volunteers back adding emerging invasive species to Ordinance 009-2026; mayor proclaims Arbor Day

A volunteer from the Morristown Shade Tree Commission told the Town Council the town should add emerging invasive plant species to its ordinance to allow earlier, more cost-effective control.

"That's why I strongly support adding emergen emerging invasive species to our ordinance, which is ordinance 009-2026," said Paula Ziman, who identified herself as a Shade Tree Commission member and Burnet Park Association volunteer. Ziman argued that by the time species are officially recognized as invasive they are often widespread and more expensive to manage; adding emerging species gives the town a proactive tool to protect parks, tree health and stormwater management.

Mayor Timothy P. Dougherty read a proclamation naming April 26, 2026, as Arbor Day in Morristown. "Now, therefore, I, Timothy P. Dougherty, Mayor of the Town of Morristown, do hereby proclaim April 26th, 2026 as Arbor Day in the Town of Morristown," he said, and credited Shade Tree Commission volunteers with planting more than 1,000 trees in the town's roughly 2.9 square miles.

Council members expressed appreciation for the Shade Tree Commission's work and noted an Arbor Day celebration scheduled for April 25. The transcript records the mayor introducing members of his team, including Paula Ziman (name variant appears in the transcript), Jonathan Kim and R.J. Bell. The council did not take a recorded vote on Ordinance 009-2026 during the meeting.