CHAPTER XXII. 



SHADE TREES AND THE LAW 



IN law, as well as from the point of view of city beau- 

 tification, shade trees have come to have recognized 

 value. This legal recognition manifests itself in the writ- 

 ing of laws to protect trees and to encourage their plant- 

 ing. Laws of this nature exist in various parts of the 

 United States as matters of state legislation and in many 

 communities as items of regulation by cities, towns and 

 villages. Wherever such laws have been put into effect 

 their operation has stimulated the planting of shade trees 

 and giving them the care necessary for their best 

 development. 



Shade tree legislation in the United States began with 

 the passage of a state law by the Commonwealth of 

 Massachusetts in 1854. Prior to that time, there had been 

 scattered attempts to regulate the growth of trees, but this 

 was the first law to give the trees of an entire state ade- 

 quate attention. Theretofore, shade trees had been planted 

 by the citizens of communities throughout the country 

 on streets and private property bordering the highways, 

 but little thought had been given to the care and replace- 

 ment of the trees planted. This part of the undertaking 

 was left for future generations. 



The Massachusetts law was an important step in the 

 direction of regulation, but it lacked much that was neces- 

 sary to make it properly effective. It remained for New 

 Jersey, in 1893, to pass the first really comprehensive state 

 law pertaining to the care of shade trees. In 1899, Massa- 

 chusetts once more took the question before its legislature, 



with the result that a law was passed providing that every 

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