Commission discusses Community Forest Management Plan and possible tree-ordinance changes

Ocean Township Safety Commission members used their April 9 meeting to press to make the Community Forest Management Plan (CFMP) more accessible and to outline recommended ordinance changes addressing tree protection and replacement requirements.

A commissioner said the CFMP grew from extensive stakeholder engagement and student involvement and recommended the town post the new plan prominently on the municipal website so residents and council members can review it. Commissioners agreed to forward the draft and the related ordinance recommendations to the mayor and council for formal consideration.

The commission discussed two distinct ordinance frameworks: the town’s residential tree-protection ordinance and a separate land-use ordinance that sets replacement schedules for development sites. Speakers described existing replacement-payment examples mentioned in the meeting (figures of $350 and $750 were cited during discussion) and debated consolidating size classes to simplify enforcement and avoid unwieldy replacement calculations for developers.

Commissioners also raised implementation questions: the residential tree permit window (currently 90 days) may be too short for projects that span seasons, and the commission spoke about aligning permit windows with project durations and planting schedules. One site-specific case (a 32-acre project referenced in the discussion) was described as having been inventoried and physically tagged.

Participants noted the Mammoth County Shade Tree Commission has largely ceased operations and that the town intends to rely on a state contract for larger tree work rather than staffing up for high-risk tree operations. Insurers and training requirements for arborist work were also discussed; committee members emphasized multi-year training and safety requirements for tree workers and noted insurance limitations (a nearby park’s bucket truck was reportedly unusable without a cab protector).

The commission did not adopt ordinance language at the meeting; members agreed to route the CFMP and draft ordinance recommendations to the mayor and council for review and next steps.

Next steps noted in the meeting record included posting the CFMP on the town website, providing the mayor and council with the draft ordinance language, and coordinating with planning/zoning and environmental commissions to seek available state funding for complete-streets/tree work.