Billerica LORAX Committee Launches Tree Bylaw Review, Eyes Town Meeting

BILLERICA -- September 10, 2025, Billerica's LORAX Committee opened a review of a model tree bylaw guide at its September 10 meeting, setting an October 23 return date to begin drafting the town's first formal tree ordinance. Members working from a 17-page guide containing sample language from Amesbury and other Massachusetts communities agreed that any bylaw should allow removal of diseased or hazardous trees without restriction while discouraging large-scale clearing through mechanisms such as a 20-foot structural buffer zone and a tree-replacement fund modeled on the town's sidewalk fund. The committee identified a significant governance gap: the tree warden position, which carries authority under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 87 over public shade trees within 15 feet of any public road, has been vacant since a previous holder retired. Members noted that tree authority is currently split among the Conservation Commission, Planning Board, Department of Public Works, and Cemetery Department, and said consolidating those strands will be essential before any bylaw can move to Town Meeting, tentatively targeted for May 2026. The committee's sole formal vote approved the August 20 meeting minutes.